Aussie family snaps up $23m Queensland farm at auction

A tightly held 3372ha mixed farm in southern Queensland has been sold to a neighbouring family through auction after spirited bidding. See the details.

Spirited bidding from a series of neighbouring farming families has pushed the price of a tightly-held southern Queensland mixed farm to in excess of pre-auction expectations.

The 3372ha Eumerella property, located 39km north of Mungindi in Queensland’s Balonne region, was sold under the hammer through auction on Thursday, May 15 after more than a century in the hands of generations of the Baker family.

Brothers Vaughn and Graeme Baker with cousin Melanie O’Flynn offered Eumerella to the market as they prepared to end a longstanding family tenure stretching back to 1923.

Bidding on the Moonie River floodplain property began at $9m on the day before rising by increments of $500,000 and later $250,000.

There were three active bidders on the property, before neighbouring landholders, the Willis family, secured the holding for $23m.

The sale price equates to a figure of about $6821 a hectare.

Nutrien Harcourts St George agents Darryl Langton and Philip Manns handled the sale of Eumerella.

The Willis family have expanded their landholdings after acquiring the 3372ha Eumerella property for $23m through auction.

Mr Langton said there was buyer confidence in the market following a series of solid seasons and strong moisture profile across southern Queensland and northern NSW.

“The property is in a great position and of good quality with scale. With those reasons they can be held in one family for a very long time,” Mr Langton said.

“Properties like these rarely become available, and that was very, very true in this case.

“There was very strong bidding with a number of graziers and farmers from the local region active in the marketplace.

“For the winter cropping season ahead, the outlook is pretty good and that gives confidence to those looking to expand their enterprise with graziers continuing to look for scale.”

About 2600ha at Eumerella was considered ideally suited to the development of cultivation with flat, dark alluvial Moonie River floodplain soils to soft Belah, Coolibah, Whitewood, Leopardwood soils.

The property is currently pastured with Mitchell, Bluegrass, soft native grasses and growing herbage varieties in season.

Originally published as Aussie family snaps up $23m Queensland farm at auction