Property

Mixed farms in NSW, CQ, SA join autumn listings

Linda Rowley, April 22, 2024

Pindaroi Station includes 752ha of arable country suited to summer and winter cropping. Photo: RDR Real Estate

PINDAROI Station on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Paldaro in South Australia’s South East, and Brackenhill in Central Queensland are on the market.

Pindaroi is suited to cattle, summer and winter cropping, while Paldaro includes a forestry plantation, and Brackenhill features Fitzroy River frontage.

Pindaroi Station, NSW

One of the Inverell district’s best mixed-farming properties is being sold by Chris and Bec Tonkin after 15 years of ownership.

The historic 1938ha Pindaroi Station is located close to the township bearing the same name, roughly halfway between Inverell and Ashford.

It is only the second time in 55 years that Pindaroi Station has changed hands.

Prior to current ownership, Pindaroi Station was owned by Geoff and Kaye Bassett for around 40 years.

RDR Real Estate agent Wally Duff was unable to offer a price guide, however good farming country in the district is selling for $12,500/ha, while good grazing country is making around $7500/ha.

According to the Inverell Pioneer Village, Pindaroi Station once formed part of a much larger holding spanning 16,000ha settled by George Polhill in 1846.

It was then acquired by James Campbell, a son of Alexander Campbell of Inverell Station.

The gently undulating country is situated 570-800m above sea level in an 800mm summer-dominant rainfall area.

Around 752ha is arable and comprises 70 percent chocolate and red basalt and the balance is soft trap soils growing a mix of winter and summer crops including oats, wheat, sorghum, mungbeans and lucerne.

Currently, 495ha is fallowed for winter planting and 149ha is sown to winter forage crops.

The Tonkins estimate the property could carry 700 breeders together with the cash crop or 700 breeders and 3000 ewes or 1000 adult equivalents.

Pindaroi Station is watered by two bores, the permanent Pindaroi Creek and 24 dams.

Improvements include two homes, numerous sheds, two shearing sheds, sheep and cattle yards and eight silos with 936 tonnes of grain storage.

While it is early days, Mr Duff reports good interest from corporates and out of area producers seeking scale.

Expressions of interest for Pindaroi Station close on May 27.

Paldaro, SA

Offers above $12 million are being sought for a continuous cropping and prime lamb enterprise in SA’s mid South East that offers a lucrative additional cash flow.

The versatile 1594ha Paldaro comprises four adjoining holdings – 602ha David’s, 528ha Paldaro, 321 Box’s and 142ha Willbro – aggregated over 51 years by the Will family.

Situated in a 500-550mm reliable rainfall area, the property is situated between Frances and Wolseley, 31km from Bordertown and close to the Victorian border.

The cropping country features heavy clays to heavy and lighter loams that have been regularly clayed and fertilised.

Vendor David Will said the soil types lend themselves to any type of cropping.

Over the past 15 years he has been growing a mix of canola, faba beans, wheat, barley, oats, lucerne and lupins.

Currently, 250ha is being conservatively farmed, but Mr Will said that area could be expanded to 800ha.

In addition to the cropping, Mr Will is running 2500 breeding ewes on a balance of bluegum flats and rising redgum country.

A 279ha forestry plantation, established in 1983, will provide the buyer with a considerable income stream for not a huge amount of input costs.

It is growing mostly radiata pine which has been independently assessed as capable of producing around 43,000 tonnes of timber.

Most days, Mr Will has been trucking timber to a local sawmill in Mt Gambier which described the product as “good quality, good sized and high-value wood”.

Mr Will said the plantation could provide the new owner with a steady weekly income stream over the next 15 years, or it could be cut down over the next three years.

Mr Will said Paldaro is a turnkey operation offering scale and diversity.

“The incoming purchaser can hedge their bets and swing between cropping or livestock depending on seasons and commodity prices.”

Paldaro has two water licences supported by numerous dams.

Improvements include two homes, a three-stand shearing shed, undercover sheep yards, two sheds, quality fencing and laneways.

Paldaro is being offered as a whole or separately.

Elders agent Grant Schubert and PPHS agent Richard Harvie are handling the sale.

Brackenhill, Qld

A Central Queensland cattle and irrigation block has returned to the market via expressions of interest.

The 345ha Brackenhill is situated on the high bank of the Fitzroy River, 20 minutes’ drive from Rockhampton and 40 minutes from Yeppoon.

The holding is expected to attract producers seeking unlimited irrigation potential, sophisticated pondage systems or high carrying capacity country with abundant water and feed.

Cattle veterinarian and producer Alexander “Bob” Meldrum purchased the river acreage in 1966.

For the past 19 years, it has been managed and further developed by his daughters Melissa and Natalie.

Brackenhill is well watered by 1.6km of Fitzroy River frontage, 700m of Etna Creek frontage, numerous ponded flats, and 11 dams.

The pondage pasture is irrigated by a gravity-fed system and supported by 334ML of supplemented and unsupplemented water allocations.

Featuring undulating hills, the well-grassed breeding block has been cleared and sown to improved pastures, including leucaena, that can support 500 cows and calves.

Melissa Meldrum said the property also offered residential subdivision potential.

“Developers will be attracted to the riverfront development opportunity, the cleared landscape and its proximity to Rockhampton.”

Brackenhill is being offered for sale by the Meldrum family, with expressions of interest closing May 24.

 

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