Mallee farms at Meering West, Nullawil and Dumosa for sale

Two premier Mallee farming aggregations have been listed for sale and could fetch offers of more than $13 million combined.

Two first-class Mallee farming aggregations have hit the market and could fetch offers of more than $13 million combined as Victoria’s rural property moves toward the traditional spring trading season.

After their 115-year tenure of Ivanhoe at Meering West in Victoria’s Mallee, the Rothacker family are selling their 1300ha farm, which has price expectations of more than $9.5 million.

Four generations have passed through the farming aggregation, with current owners Helen Rothacker and her husband Alan in charge for the last 56 years.

Helen’s great-grandfather, William Henry Smith and his family purchased the property in 1907 when it was largely uncleared Mallee land.

Over the next 59 years the Lester-Smith family worked the land until Helen and Alan took ownership.

Since 1966 Mr and Mrs Rothacker have developed the farm to its current stature, using innovative and consistent management favouring modern broadacre cropping practices and rotations while running a self-replacing fine wool Merino sheep enterprise.

The Rothacker family are selling their 1300ha farm at Meering West after 115 years in the family.

Elders Barham selling agent Peter Robertson said the property was one of the best in the district and was expected to attract interest from regional and southern buyers.

“It would be equal to any of the premier farms in the district,” Mr Robertson said.

The agronomic management has continued under the current lease, which concludes at the end of December.

The property also has a secure 6.7ML stock and domestic water entitlement supplied via the Normanville Pipeline System and is close to grain receival complexes in Boort and Quambatook.

A grand federation-style five-bedroom double-brick homestead also stands on the property with original features such as high ceilings, stained glass windows, intricate cornices and ceilings.

Meanwhile, 50km west of Meering West, Jim and Leo Ross are selling their 259ha McNicol’s block at Dumosa and 259ha Murray’s block near Nullawil after 20 years of ownership.

The Ross family are selling 518ha of tightly-held cropping land which is expected to field offers of more than $7400 a hectare ($3000 an acre).

The Ross family are selling their 259ha McNicol’s block at Dumosa and 259ha Murray’s block near Nullawil.

Farmland in the southern Mallee region is traditionally tightly-held with the Ross brothers selling the farms to dissolve a family farming partnership which has operated in the district since the mid-1980s.

This year McNicol’s has been sown to half barley and half peas and Murray’s has been sown to lentils.

Elders Real Estate Wycheproof agent Jim Coffey said the farms are of a size and scale opening the door for a variety of buyers.

“The farms give local farmers an ideal opportunity to add to their existing holdings,” he said.

“It is also sizeable for someone to move into the well-held southern Mallee region.”

In July, the Merriwa Pastoral Company sold Mallee cropping portfolio at Normanville after it was listed for sale with a $10 million-plus price tag in March.