This week's Roundup:
Australia's richest woman has continued her foray south in the agricultural sector with the $8.6 million purchase of Chrome Park, 20km west of Hamilton VIC, according to The Weekly Times.
The 511 hectare property had been owned by the Tonissen family for 60 years and was marketed as "ideal for a number of agricultural pursuits including cropping and hay production, wool growing, prime lamb and beef cattle production."
Chrome Park operated as both stud and commercial operation. According to the company's website it had a stud base of;
700 Mixed Aged Poll Dorset & Southie ewes
1400 Mixed Aged Chromedale, Perendale & Coopworth ewes
1000 mated ewe lambs across all breeds
A commercial flock of 1500 Chromedale/Perendale ewes were used for prime lamb production.
The purchase of Chrome Park continues the southward move of Ms Hankcock's agricultural expansion following the sell-off of the S Kidman and Co assets to focus on Santa Gertrudis and Wagyu breeds. That has included buying a northern NSW dairy, 10,000ha in Queensland's Western Downs and the 8,000ha Otley Station from Packhorse Pastoral.
Half a million hectares of prime cattle country listed across the nation’s Top End
The recent listing of QLD’s ‘Van Lee Station,’ ‘Mutton Hole and Oakland Park Aggregation’ and NT’s ‘Aroona Station’ has seen 470,000ha be put on the market in Australia’s northern region.
'Vanlee Station'
The property is in the Etheridge Shire, located 104km west of Mount Surprise and 75km northeast of Georgetown.
‘Vanlee Station’ has an estimated carrying capacity of 9000 adult equivalents and interestingly the original property brand W4V and associated symbol brand will be included in the sale.
The property includes a 6320 Brahman-cross herd, including 4000 breeders and progeny, 900 replacement heifers, 500 steers, 120 bulls, and 800 mixed-sex weaners.
Expressions of interest close on July 3, 2024.
Henry Slaney of Slaney & Co, Charters Towers is handling the sale.
'Aroona Station'
‘Aroona Station’, which was formerly owned by Gina Rinehart, has hit the market again.
The cattle station, situated at the juncture of the NT Victoria River and Douglas-Daly regions, was acquired from Hancock Agriculture and S. Kidman & Co by a South Australian family in 2021. This purchase occurred after the property had been offered for sale for nearly four years.
‘Aroona Station’ is back on the market and being offered on a walk-in, walk-out basis including over 14,000 head of mixed-aged Grey-brahman herd with an inventory of plant and equipment.
Expressions of interest will close on July 5, 2024.
Colliers Agribusiness agents Jesse Manuel and Rawdon Briggs are handling the sale.
'Mutton Hole' and 'Oakland Park' aggregation
The aggregation offered for sale spans more than 225,800ha across two properties 'Mutton Hole' (140,300ha) and 'Oakland Park' (85,500ha).
Located in Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria, 'Mutton Hole' is 15km north of Normanton, and 'Oakland Park' 45km north-west of Croydon.
The aggregation is a cattle breeding and backgrounding operation with an assessed overall carrying capacity of 17,600 Adult Equivalents.
The aggregation has conditional approval to generate carbon credits under the Mutton Hole and Oakland Park Regeneration Projects, utilising the Human Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology.
It is available on a Walk-In-Walk-Out basis inclusive of livestock, plant and machinery.
Expressions of interest closing on July 1, 2024.
Grant Vievers and Simon Cudmore of LAWD, as well as Troy Trevor and Peter MacPherson of GDL Rural, are handling the sale.
‘Mellool Station’, spanning 4140ha in the western NSW Riverina district, has changed ownership after 50 years under the Martin family.
The Southern Riverina property, originally part of ‘Murray Downs Station,’ is located 26km east of Swan Hill, VIC.
It is understood that a local farmer has acquired the property to expand their existing land holdings in the broader Swan Hill-Deniliquin area and it was expected to attract offers worth $10 million-plus when listed for sale in March this year, according to the Weekly Times.
The value of the transaction is currently undisclosed.
The property has 7km frontage to the Murray River, with more than 1200ha of irrigated cropping with diverse pasture production.
The offering included 32ML of Stock and Domestic Water and 30ML of General Security Water Zone 11 Murray NSW and BLR .
Accommodation includes 150-year-old, four-bedroom homestead, and a three-bedroom home on the river.
‘Mellool Station’ was expected to attract offers worth $10m-plus when the property was listed for sale in March this year.
‘Glensloy,’ a mixed farming property spanning over 1,082ha in the tightly held NSW Hilltops district, has been offered to market for the first time since 1901.
Located 9km west of Young, the property is considered to be one of the largest holdings in the area.
Recent property sales in the region have achieved prices exceeding $7,000/acre or over $17,300/ha.
The current owner reports that it has predominately been used for lamb, wool and beef production, and that no chemical has been used on the property in 20 years.
The property has red to red-loam soils, with recent soil tests demonstrating an average PH of 5.4 and exceptional organic carbon levels.
Carrying capacity of 500 wet cows. However, has been conservatively stocked running 2000 merino ewes, 1,500 lambs and 100 shorthorn cattle.
Infrastructure includes a seven-stand woolshed circa 1910 in exceptional working condition, new steel sheep yards, and cattle yards with an undercover crush.
The homestead is a seven-bedroom, two-bathroom home. There are also three additional residencies in good order on the property.
‘Glensloy’ will be auctioned on June 14, 2024, at Young Services Club, unless sold prior.
Rachelle Barnett of Elders Real Estate, Young is handling the sale.
Certified organic cattle station in Central Queensland hits the market
‘Maryvale’ a 11,796ha backgrounding and finishing property in Central Queensland’s tightly held Alpha region is being brought to market with organic certification.
The property is located west of the Drummond Ranges, 35km from Alpha and 125km west of Emerald. It has two freehold titles and one leasehold title.
The property has been listed for sale by expressions of interest, with no price guide currently disclosed.
‘Maryvale’ is a certified organic grazing property, with certifications meeting the Australian National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce, and the United States Department of Agriculture Organic Standards.
Infrastructure includes 14km of internal laneways, two sets of steel cattle yards with water connections. The main cattle yard is equipped with a vet crush, undercover working area, camp drafting arena and hangar.
Accommodation includes a four-bedroom homestead, three-bedroom staff accommodation and a two-bedroom cottage.
‘Maryvale’ is for sale by expression of interest closing on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
LAWD Directors, Grant Veivers, Simon Cudmore and Darren Collins are handling the sale.
“Three-pronged cash flow business” up for grabs in northwest NSW
‘Long Swamp’, a 4,547ha cattle, conservation, and carbon sequestration enterprise along the Barwon River in northwestern NSW, near Moree has entered the market.
The property has been listed for sale by expressions of interest by the Long Swamp Partnership, with no price guide currently available.
It is being hailed as a “three-pronged cash flow business,” with a mix of cattle breeding or fattening, conservation, and a carbon sequestration project.
The property has heavy grey to lighter red soils, with 587ha of permitted farming country, with 142ha ideal for winter crops and 672ha previously pulled in 2020-2023.
It has a significant Avoided Deforestation Carbon Sequestration Project in place, with a Biodiversity Conservation Project with cash returns in place. Additionally, 1,177ha is dedicated to the Long Swamp Conservation Agreement made under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW).
The property is part of the 8 Mile Bore Scheme and benefits from permanent and semi-permanent waterholes in the Barwon River and 12 Mile water course.
‘Long Swamp’ also has frontage to the Barwon River, and an average annual rainfall is 495mm.
The main complex includes a three-bedroom home, workshop, machinery shed, gravel pit, new cattle yards, shearing shed and sheep yards.
Nick Dunsdon and Jeff Garland of Nutrien Harcourts GDL Dalby are handling the sale.
Former QIC Director and Wallaby lists 18,000ha Blackall cattle station
Damien Frawley, the former CEO of Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), and current Mirvac Director, has listed an organic-certified cattle station ‘Gowan Station ’ in Central Queensland for sale.
Mr Frawley, a former Wallaby player, also chairs Hostplus superannuation fund and will soon join the board of ASX-listed Elders in July.
Mr Frawley holds the largest stake in Blue Sky Beef, the company that owns ‘Gowan Station.’
Prior to entering investment banking, Mr Frawley earned 10 test caps playing as a lock for Australia from 1986 to 1988.
‘Gowan Station’ spanning 18,077 ha is located 70km south of Blackall, could fetch up to $17m for Frawley and his co-investors.
A price guide for the property is unavailable. However, estimates from the latest Rural Bank Australian Farmland Values report found the median $/ha in the Blackall Tambo region of Central Queensland was $924.
‘Gowan Station’ could be worth around $16.7m, based off the previous estimates. The property was formerly owned by Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC), who sold the property to Blue Sky Beef in 2016 for $7.2m. The 2016 sale price equated to just below $400/ha.
The property has seven freehold titles and has the livestock carrying capacity of 3,000 Adult Equivalents.
The main complex includes a five-bedroom homestead, shearing shed, horse yards and stables.
The property will be taken to auction on June 14, 2024, with Bruce Douglas of Ray White, handling the sale.
Family-owned Liverpool Plains jewel hits market after 30 years
NSW Liverpool Plains property ‘Makiwa’ (1279ha), has entered the market after more than 30 years of ownership.
The Kuhn Family is offering this centrally situated property in the Bundella district for sale with a price guide of $5.6-$6.1m ($4,378-$4,770/ ha).
‘Makiwa’ is situated in the southwest corner of the Liverpool Plains, 92km west of Quirindi and 92km south of Gunnedah.
The property has run as a cattle and sheep grazing operation, with central aims of breeding and fattening cattle with dedicated cropping pastures.
The property consists of gentle slopes, to rising to low hills with chocolate to black basalt soils. Pic: Supplied
The owners estimate that ‘Makiwa’ could support about 360 to380 cows if solely operated as a cattle operation, achieving steer weights of 460-480kg (feedlot weights) while retaining select heifers for breeding purposes.
Crops and pastures have included oats, winter wheat, forage sorghum, millet, lucerne, clover, and phallaris.
Infrastructure includes a three-stand shearing shed, undercover shed for 1000 sheep, hay shed, silos, workshop/machinery shed, and two storage containers.
The homestead has four-bedrooms and two-bathrooms with sweeping views of the plains.
Stephen Johnston of Davidson Cameron & Co is handling the sale.
