Seasonal uncertainty puts rural property buyers on alert

Australia’s rural property market is entering a high-stakes spring, with cautious buyers, stubborn vendor expectations and seasonal uncertainty weighing on sales activity.

That is according to Herron Todd White’s Month in Review for August 2026, which highlights differing conditions across NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

In NSW, winter rainfall has improved cropping prospects across northern districts, while central areas face mixed conditions and southern regions remain vulnerable to low subsoil moisture and a dry finish.

Listings and transactions have slowed across the state.

“The market is very selective in its approach to purchase and in conjunction, funding has slowed in line with some of the unknowns from the recent proposed taxation changes,” Herron Todd White Director Tim Lane said.

Mr Lane said stronger livestock and wool prices were generating greater interest in mixed-farming and grazing properties, but offered a restrained assessment of broader conditions.

Major properties testing demand include the 5574ha Yarranvale aggregation in the Wakool district, which is expected to achieve more than $40 million and includes a 7531ML permanent water portfolio.

“Purchaser demand remains highly selective,” Mr Lane said.

In Victoria, farmland values have stabilised, with the state’s median holding at $14,790 per hectare in 2025, down 0.4 per cent annually.

However, buyers have become more price-sensitive as interest rates and production costs rise.

“In many instances, buyers are not currently prepared to meet vendor expectations, and selling periods are becoming longer,” Herron Todd White Director Shane Noonan said.

Although some asking prices have been lowered, tightly held supply and strong crop establishment are supporting the market.

“It is expected that sales activity will likely stay quite low until we get closer to harvest time later in the year,” Mr Noonan said.

Southern Western Australia is also approaching spring with strong crop prospects, although further rainfall is needed.

“Since the beginning of the season, the overall outlook has shifted to one which is now far more positive,” Herron Todd White valuer Mitchell Boylan said.

However, property demand will be shaped by the season’s finish.

“The level of demand for cropping properties at the commencement of the selling season in spring, and the subsequent impact on land values, is likely to be influenced more heavily by the finish of the season this year,” Mr Boylan said.

In the Northern Territory, several cotton growers exiting properties could undermine arable land demand.

These departures “may well dent investor confidence”, Herron Todd White Director Frank Peacocke said.

Conditions remain stronger in Western Australia’s Ord River Irrigation Area, where agricultural land is “relatively tightly held” and “in high demand”, Mr Peacocke said.

Borrona Downs sells for $23.75 million after online auction

Size: 86,740ha

Location: Broken Hill, NSW

Sale price: $23.75 million

One of far western NSW’s largest pastoral holdings has changed hands for the first time in a century, selling to a Queensland grazing family for $23.75 million.

The Taylor family sold the 86,740ha Borrona Downs Station shortly after it was passed in during an online AuctionsPlus auction.

Bidding opened at $23 million before a vendor bid lifted the price to $23.25 million.

A market bid of $23.5 million followed before the property passed in.

Nutrien Russell Livestock and Property Principal David Russell said negotiations moved quickly following the auction, with the deal struck about 10 minutes later.

“The buyer saw value for money for the property,” Mr Russell said.

Mr Russell said the campaign generated “good inquiry”, resulting in five inspections, although only one prospective purchaser ultimately bid during the auction.

The successful buyer is a grazing family with properties in Queensland and northern NSW.

While primarily cattle producers, the family plans to run both sheep and cattle on Borrona Downs.

“They’ve got country in both states, so (they are) very happy to be able to relocate some of their stock out there,” Mr Russell said.

The family will initially move livestock to the station before considering its longer-term management requirements.

“They’re just relocating the stock. They’re not moving themselves,” Mr Russell said.

Borrona Downs is located about 135km east of Tibooburra and the same distance north of White Cliffs.

The Taylor family has run about 3000 grown cattle on the property in recent years.

The station has an estimated carrying capacity of 20,000DSE, depending on seasonal conditions, and can also harvest about 5000 rangeland goats annually.

Its landscape ranges from open plains and perennial lakes to creek systems and waterholes, with Mitchell, Flinders and buffel grasses complemented by natural clovers and herbages.

Water security is provided by 10 bores equipped with Southern Cross windmills, two capped flowing bores, 16 seasonal dams and an extensive tank and trough network.

Improvements include accommodation, a six-stand shearing shed, sheep and cattle yards, a meat house or cool room and numerous machinery and storage sheds.

The cattle yards can handle up to 2000 head.

CPC expands Territory footprint with $47.4 million Vermelha Station purchase

Size: 204,000ha

Location: Larrimah, NT

Sale price: $47.4 million

Consolidated Pastoral Company has strengthened its position as a major Northern Territory landholder and irrigator after purchasing Vermelha Station for more than $47 million.

The 204,000ha cattle station is located near Larrimah, about 500km south of Darwin, and has been owned by Vietnamese investors since 2016.

It had reportedly been on the market for about two years. The station fetched $47.4 million according to the ABC.

The transaction is understood to include about 15,000 Brahman-based cattle and an annual groundwater extraction licence of 2956ML.

Vermelha is expected to be incorporated into CPC’s portfolio as a backgrounding property, growing out cattle produced across the company’s breeding stations.

The acquisition increases CPC’s Northern Territory groundwater entitlements to 18,524ML annually.

Its other licences cover Powell Creek, Dungowan, Newcastle Waters and Tandyidgee.

CPC intends to use the water to support more reliable fodder and crop production for its cattle operations, with irrigation developments planned to occur progressively.

Vermelha’s water entitlement is currently underutilised, with one 45ha pivot irrigator and a further 60ha of cleared country.

The property also holds a clearing permit covering approximately 3659ha, offering scope for further agricultural development.

The purchase continues a major expansion phase for CPC, which has acquired several significant pastoral holdings during the past 18 months.

These include the Beetaloo Aggregation in the Northern Territory, purchased for more than $300 million, and Rawlinna Station in Western Australia.

CPC has also bought Madura Plains Station and is understood to have agreed to acquire nearby Arubiddy Station, subject to regulatory approval.

Owned by British billionaires Guy and Julia Hands, CPC now controls an asset base exceeding $1.7 billion and runs more than 400,000 cattle, 50,000 goats and 150,000 sheep across its Australian operations.

Yorke Peninsula cropping powerhouse offered for sale

Size: 813.3ha

Location: Maitland, SA

Sale method: Expressions of interest closing at 10am on October 13

Sale price: N/A

One of the Yorke Peninsula’s largest contiguous cropping properties has been listed for sale, offering buyers more than 813ha of entirely arable farmland and storage capacity exceeding 15,000 tonnes.

Watervalley Farm, at 193 Broster Road, Maitland, comprises approximately 813.3ha of fertile red-brown earth in a tightly held South Australian farming district.

Ray White Rural South Australia principals Daniel and Geoff Schell are marketing the property with sales agent Sam Krieg through an expressions-of-interest campaign closing October 13 at 10am.

The holding receives average annual rainfall of about 500mm and is located 25km from the port at Ardrossan and 45km from Wallaroo’s grain receival facilities.

All internal fencing has been removed, creating long, uninterrupted runs suitable for large, high-speed cropping machinery.

“Opportunities to acquire more than 813.3ha of entirely arable farming land in one continuous holding, particularly with the level of infrastructure that exists at Watervalley Farm, are exceptionally rare,” Daniel Schell said.

Its storage complex includes an Allied Grain Systems facility with more than 11,000 tonnes of automated-aeration silo capacity, along with between 4500 and 5000 tonnes of additional shed storage.

Supporting infrastructure includes intake capacity of 250 tonnes an hour, outturn capacity of 180 tonnes an hour, two calibrated weighbridges, a sampling control building, diesel storage, generators and two machinery sheds exceeding 1000sq m each.

“Watervalley Farm is not simply a large-scale parcel of quality cropping land,” Mr Schell said.

“The combination of the land resource, long cropping runs, grain storage capacity and operational infrastructure creates an exceptionally efficient farming platform.”

Owned by Watervalley Investments, the property can be purchased in its entirety or as four separate, non-contingent lots ranging from 130.7ha to 258.2ha.

Premium Riverland stone fruit enterprise hits the market

Size: 114.65ha

Location: Renmark North, SA

Sale method: Expressions of interest closing on September 30 at 12pm (ACST)

Sale price: N/A

A major South Australian stone fruit operation combining premium orchards, export relationships and large-scale packing infrastructure has been offered for sale.

Renmark Orchards spans about 114.65ha across two orchard aggregations in the Riverland, with about 60.36ha planted to proprietary nectarine, peach and apricot varieties.

The vertically integrated enterprise produces fruit for domestic and international markets and includes its own purpose-built packing, cooling and storage facilities.

LAWD associate director Nathan Cleeland said horticultural properties offering a comparable combination of scale, infrastructure and genetics were becoming increasingly scarce.

“Renmark Orchards is a unique opportunity given the scale of the operation and its portfolio of proprietary stone fruit varieties, which have demonstrated an ability to achieve premium pricing in key export markets,” Mr Cleeland said.

The orchards have been developed using proprietary varieties sourced from leading international breeding programs, with an emphasis on fruit offering strong eating quality, attractive presentation and appeal among premium export buyers.

Renmark Orchards currently produces about 940 tonnes of packed fruit each year, but annual production is forecast to climb to about 1370 tonnes within two years.

The anticipated increase of about 39 per cent is expected to occur as recently established orchard plantings mature and contribute more fruit to the operation.

A key component of the enterprise is its 4000sq m packing facility, which features advanced grading technology, automated packing systems and extensive cool storage infrastructure.

Capable of processing about five tonnes of fruit an hour, the facility could also generate additional opportunities through contract packing and seasonal storage services for third parties.

Mr Cleeland said the enterprise’s established sales channels and access to premium varieties were expected to attract interest from within and outside the horticultural industry.

“We expect this established market position and access to premium genetics will be a major drawcard for both existing horticultural operators and investors looking to enter the sector,” he said.

The business has established relationships with premium retailers, distributors and importers across Asia, supported by an experienced management team and workforce overseeing its orchard and packing operations.

Its Riverland location provides favourable growing conditions and access to domestic and export supply chains, while secure River Murray water supports existing production and offers scope for future expansion.

Renmark Orchards is for sale via an Expression of Interest campaign closing September 30 at 12pm (ACST).

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.