Wagners clearing sale draws wide-brimmed bidders

THE Wellcamp Downs horse stud’s last hurrah will go down as one of the largest private auctions in Toowoomba’s history.

THE Wellcamp Downs horse stud's last hurrah will go down as one of the largest private auctions in Toowoomba's history.

The sun beat down on a sea of Akubra hats and sweaty brows as the Wagner family set about clearing everything from spare tyres to mechanical cranes and stables.

There will be no room for farm equipment when the Wellcamp Airport is built, and the runway is already creeping to the fence line that separates it from the former stud.

The Wagner clan all made the trip to watch the clearing sale unfold, matriarch Mary Wagner saying calling it a bitter-sweet moment - especially for husband Henry who had "just about been living out here" in recent weeks.

Wagner family patriarch Henry Wagner keeps tabs on each item’s sale price. Picture: Nev Madsen

Henry kept a keen eye on proceedings, his ballpoint pen scribbling away on his clipboard to keep track of every item's top bid.

Son Denis was also on-hand, following the crowd as it moved from one item to the next, the warm air punctuated by the sound of fast-talking auctioneers.

"The construction of the airstrip has started, so we no longer have a use for the gear," he said.

"If you just go behind the stables you can actually see the alignment of the airstrip.

"We've started stripping the topsoil... ready for filling.

"It goes from down near the Cecil Plains Rd through to just this side of the Toowoomba Bypass.

"A lot of this gear is selling really cheaply, but good luck to the buyers."

Denis Wagner explains the trajectory of the growing Wellcamp Airport runway. “We’ve started stripping the topsoil... ready for filling,” he said. Picture: Nev Madsen

Veteran auctioneer Bob Loiterton said the auction was a mixed bag of high and low prices.

"Money has been a little bit hard, but there has only been the odd thing passed in," he said.

"And some of the prices have been over our expectations."

Elders Toowoomba principal Trevor Leishman said both the Wagner family and the masses of bargain-hunting bidders went home happy.

"As far as sales in and around Toowoomba go, this would be one of the biggest in years," he said.

"Once buyers locked on to an item, they really went after it.

"We all went away extremely happy with the way it went."

• Elders Toowoomba's next major property clearing sale will be held at 68 Meynink Rd in Hodgson Vale on Sunday, April 7. Details are available here.

Originally published as Wagners clearing sale draws wide-brimmed bidders