McIntyre Aggregation sells for almost $20 million after bumper online auction

Each week, we take the pulse of rural property - from sales data to who’s making headlines. Check out this week's report from Kylie Dulhunty.

McIntyre Aggregation sells for almost $20 million after bumper online auction

Size: 857ha

Location: West Prairie, QLD

Sale price: $19.42 million

The tightly held McIntyre Aggregation on Queensland’s inner Darling Downs has sold for a combined $19.42 million, with the three-farm aggregation attracting more than 80 bids after JLL Agribusiness shifted the campaign from a two-stage expressions of interest process to an AuctionsPlus private online auction on November 5.

The 857ha dryland cotton and grain aggregation, located near West Prairie and comprising McIntyre (348ha), Colonsay (207ha) and Noritor (302ha), drew strong interest during the EOI phase. 

After assessing buyer engagement and the complexity of negotiating three interdependent assets, agents Clayton Smith and Fergus Russell moved the sale to a private online auction on where eight parties registered and five actively bid.

Mr Smith said the change in strategy was driven by the need for greater clarity and competitive transparency.

“It was a two-stage EOI and the first stage completed,” he said.

“And the second stage we moved to the auction because we had strong engagement and multiple offers that were acceptable and people were wanting to get a bit more of an idea of what they had to spend and a bit more cut through on information,” he said.

The McIntyre Aggregation on Queensland’s inner Darling Downs. Pic: Supplied.

He said the aggregated nature of the assets made an online auction a more practical and fair process for all parties, especially as some buyers were interested in multiple properties.

In the end, three different buyers bought the properties.

“There were eight registered and five active bidders, with 84 bids in total,” Mr Smith said.

“The properties were all on the market after the first bids.” 

Mr Smith said each property sold to local farming families seeking to expand.

McIntyre achieved $8.52 million ($24,483/ha), Noritor sold for $6.405 million ($21,209/ha), and Colonsay fetched $4.495 million ($21,715/ha).

Situated along all-weather bitumen roads and renowned for deep, self-mulching black soils, the aggregation features strong dryland cotton and wheat rotations supported by consistent fertiliser programs and practical on-farm infrastructure.

AuctionsPlus Business Development Manager Zoe Macfarlan said the team was thrilled to support JLL through its first private online auction on the platform.

 “We were more than happy to jump in and help JLL find the perfect solution,” she said. 

“With multiple parties moving through the EOI stage, transparency and fairness were really important, and a closed online auction gave them exactly what they needed.”

Ms Macfarlan said the platform’s flexibility made it easy to tailor the sale to JLL’s requirements.

 “We could set up a fully private auction where only approved parties could access the link, but those bidders still enjoyed the transparency and competitive energy of a live auction. It really was the best of both worlds.”

She said AuctionsPlus provided hands-on assistance to ensure every buyer was confident on sale day.

“Our team reached out to anyone who needed help logging in or bidding, especially those who hadn’t used the platform before,” she said.

“Everything ran seamlessly, and seeing such a strong result for JLL and the vendors was fantastic.”

Centuria snaps up Australia’s biggest glasshouse in $168 million deal

Size: 166ha site

Location: Two Wells, SA

Sale price: $168 million

Centuria Capital Group has made another major push into Australia’s agriculture property sector, securing the nation’s largest hydroponic glasshouse in a $168 million off-market deal near Two Wells, South Australia.

The 43ha Perfection Fresh-operated facility sits on a 166ha site at Germantown Road and becomes the newest asset within the unlisted, open-ended Centuria Agriculture Fund (CAF).

The acquisition expands Centuria’s agriculture platform to $820 million and lifts the fund’s total glasshouse holdings to more than 150ha, with more than 160ha of protected-cropping assets nationally.

It also marks a 25 per cent increase in Centuria’s agricultural portfolio since June 30 this year.

Centuria Joint Chief Executive Officer Jason Huljich said the move reinforced the group’s long-term focus on building out alternative real estate sectors supported by strong demand fundamentals.

“We have grown Centuria’s Agriculture AUM and capabilities as part of a deliberate strategy to seed alternative real estate asset classes that appeal to our investors, are well supported by attractive themes, and provide a long runway for further growth,” he said.

“Centuria is leading domestic institutional agriculture real estate investment with a bias towards sustainable farming infrastructure that aims to deliver high produce yields to meet rising demand from Australia’s expanding population.

“This strong track record is credited to partnering with experienced, well-established operators.”

Perfection Fresh, one of Australia’s largest privately owned fresh-produce companies, operates the glasshouse under a 17.4-year triple-net lease, meaning all maintenance and capital upkeep sits with the tenant.

The facility produces snacking tomatoes, Quke baby cucumbers and other high-yield protected-cropping varieties, supplying major supermarkets, airlines and food-service providers.

Centuria Chief Investment Officer Andrew Essey said the partnership was a significant win for the platform.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Perfection Fresh to the Centuria fold,” he said.

“It is one of the country’s leading, premium-quality fresh produce suppliers, delivering exclusive fruit and vegetable brands such as Broccolini, Qukes and Calypso Mangoes.

“We are immensely proud to secure the Two Wells glasshouse facility – a trophy asset being the largest in Australia and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

“Centuria will continue to seek convincing investment opportunities across the agricultural property market, which harness persistent sector tailwinds.”

The site includes five glasshouses, five storage dams, an evaporation dam, a packing shed, fertigation systems, boiler room, office facilities and an onsite electricity-generation plant enabling year-round production.

CAF’s portfolio now totals $629 million across six fully occupied assets, supported by a 16.2-year WALE (weighted average lease expiry).

The fund recorded an 11.4% total net return in the 12 months to 30 September 2025 and has delivered 5.95% per annum since launching in July 2022.

Nauroy heads to auction offering scale, water security and a renovated homestead

Size: 615.8ha

Location: Pulletop, NSW

Sale method: Online auction with AuctionsPlus at 11am on Wednesday, December 3.

Price guide: $7-$7.5 million

A substantial 615.8ha grazing enterprise in the reliable Pulletop district of the eastern Riverina is heading to online auction on December 3, with a price guide of $7 million to $7.5 million.

Agents say the property offers rare scale, excellent feed availability and exceptional water security in a tightly held region.

Nauroy, located at 750 Westby Rd, sits 38km north of Holbrook and 50km south of Wagga, with sealed road access and proximity to the Hume Highway.

Its location provides easy connections to Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as flights from Wagga.

The property has been run as a commercial sheep operation, supported by extensive improved pastures including phalaris, clover and lucerne, while the eastern hill country carries microlena and redgrass.

Burkes Creek forms approximately 2km of frontage, providing permanent water supported by 28 dams, a licensed bore, rainwater tanks and troughs.

The property has been run as a commercial sheep operation, supported by extensive improved pastures. Pic: Supplied.

Nutrien Harcourts Wagga Wagga agent Sally Douglas said the holding’s feed position is a standout.

“(What makes it special) is the bulk of feed they've got on it,” she said.

“It's been lightly stocked this year and the vendors are offering access from exchange of contracts.

“ So you can have your stock on it by the end of the first week of December if you buy it at the auction.”

Ms Douglas said the creek has long provided reliable water and interest in the property has come from a wide geographic spread.

“It's actually been all over the place. South Australia, Victoria, local and Northern NSW.”

The property includes renewed fencing across more than 40 paddocks, laneways, steel ProWay yards, a three-stand electric woolshed, machinery sheds, silos and cattle yards.

The renovated six-bedroom homestead offers multiple living spaces, a pool, tennis court and established gardens.

Nauroy will be offered via online auction with AuctionsPlus at 11am on Wednesday, December 3.

Douglas West returns to market as multimillion-dollar mixed farming opportunity

Size: 42,710ha

Location: 166km south of Darwin, NT

Sale method: EOI closing at 12pm (AEDT) on December 22.

Price guide: N/A

A vast Northern Territory cattle station with significant cropping potential has returned to the market, with agents expecting strong interest from livestock, cropping and institutional investors.

Douglas West – a 42,710ha holding in the securely watered Douglas Daly region – is being offered by the Tipperary Group of Stations as it becomes surplus to operational requirements.

The large-scale pastoral asset, located about 166km south of Darwin, is regarded as one of the region’s most versatile holdings due to its abundant natural water, existing cleared country and scope for major development.

The property comes with a land clearing permit for 3,764ha and already includes 10,420ha cleared since 1990, presenting a substantial blank canvas for cotton, corn and sorghum production.

Natural water security is a key feature, supported by five groundwater bores, permanent and semi-permanent creeks and springs, waterholes and 17km of Douglas River frontage. Pic: Supplied.

Douglas West carries an estimated 7,500 Adult Equivalents and is divided into four main paddocks encompassing natural and improved pastures.

Existing stock-proof fencing requires minimal upgrades, positioning the station as a turnkey option for cattle backgrounding and breeding operations, with proximity to Darwin’s major live export hub adding further appeal.

Tipperary Group of Stations Chief Financial Officer Darryn Kamp said the property’s multi-industry potential would appeal to a broad buyer pool.

“In the past Douglas West was used extensively as an important part of the Tipperary Group of Stations’ backgrounding operations,” Mr Kamp said.

“While its highest and best use is cattle production, Douglas West is also suited to dryland and irrigated cropping.

“With excellent access to natural water flows and bores, the offering is very attractive for multi-use buyers.”

The listing follows a previous attempted off-market sale that did not proceed in early 2025, before the property was listed with another agent.

Now Douglas West is being brought to market by LAWD via an expression of interest campaign.

In early 2024, the Tipperary Group, invested about $70 million to build a new cotton processing gin near Katherine, enabling Northern Territory and Western Australian-grown cotton to be processed locally and exported to international markets.

The facility can process 150,000–200,000 bales annually, underpinning future cotton expansion.

“With an increasing international demand for high-quality lint along with strong domestic demand for cotton seed by local graziers, there has been a significant uptake of pastoralists turning their attention to cotton production,” Mr Kamp said.

LAWD senior director Danny Thomas expects strong competition, noting the value of cleared land and ginning access.

“The work the vendors have done to build, fund and operate the local cotton gin is transformational for the north and is supporting businesses across the region to easily access global markets,” he said.

“Prospective buyers who are interested in investing fresh capital to create their own enterprise will be able to tap into this infrastructure.

“Essentially, they would be purchasing a clean slate of land already cleared and prepped for a higher use and not limited by existing infrastructure in their development.

“Because of this, we expect to see interest from local pastoral businesses looking to expand, southern cropping operators wanting to step into the northern market, as well as domestic or international investors seeking large-scale mixed farming opportunities.”

Douglas West is being offered via EOI closing at 12pm (AEDT) on December 22.

Kylie Dulhunty is a journalist with more than 20 years experience covering everything from court to health. Today, Kylie loves nothing more than turning market trends, industry insights and epic property sales - residential, rural and commercial into captivating stories.