Singapore investor buys Adelaide Hills apple orchard

One of SA’s premier apple orchard farms in the Adelaide Hills has sold for $1.2 million to a Singaporean businessman.

Ashley and Brenton Green have sold their apple orchard at Lenswood – part of their family's farm assets – for $1.2 million. Picture: Tricia Watkinson.

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A slice of apple-growing history has sold to an overseas buyer, following lack of interest from Australian farmers.

A Singaporean businessman has bought the 43.3ha site at 237 Stentiford Rd, Lenswood for $1.2 million.

The property had been on the market for six months, with a price guide of $1.195 million.

It was previously owned by the Greens family, which established the orchard some 50 years ago.

Vendor Ashley Green said he and his brother Brenton would continue to manage the property, on behalf of the new owner for at least the next 12 months.

He said the vendor – Vinod Martin, who is based in Singapore – had long-term plans to invest into the local grower industry and would eventually relocate his family to Australia.

“We’ll be managing the farm for him for the next year or so, which means that in some regards, it’s staying in local hands,” Mr Green said.

“The buyer has no background in horticulture and from what I understand, this is his first investment property in Australia.”

The property grows around 10 hectares of apple varieties annually, including gala, fuji and red delicious.

Mr Green said while some locals may oppose the decision to sell to a foreign investor, it was the way of the future.

“I know that people don’t like farms going to foreign owners. But the reality is that, in order to keep farms in Australian hands, we need more Australians to become farmers and that just isn’t happening,” he said.

“Food production is important in our country and a lot of our income is earned from agriculture – but it’s costly. So we need people who can finance it.”

The property, known as Greenglen, is set on three separate titles and includes a circa 1945-built Tudor homestead, currently tenanted for $17,810 per annum.

Fifty Boer goats were also part of the $1.2 million sale.

Sheds around the house includes a carport and storage and there are two stone implement sheds previously used for shearing and produce storage.

Water is abundant with a 70Ml licence included in the sale and water supply is guaranteed thanks to five dams of varying capacity.

As an added bonus, the property also supports a goat and sheep grazing program across approximately 10ha of land.

As for the apple undertaking, the property grows around 10 hectares of apple varieties annually, including gala, fuji and red delicious.

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Selling agent Angus Campbell of Ray White Woodside said overseas investor interest in the Adelaide Hills was on the rise.

“The overseas market is increasingly looking at Australia as a food bowl and snap up whatever they can as they see us as a good place for food production,” he said.

“In fact, I had two other interested parties from overseas for this property, one of which was a professional rider in this year’s Tour Down Under.

“The other was a lawyer based in Hong Kong.”

The Greens family still owns other farms in the Adelaide Hills.