Plumthorpe Station near Barraba, NSW, for sale with $80m price tag

A renowned 11,300ha northern NSW cattle aggregation is scheduled for auction where it could command whopping offers.

Three adjoining properties spanning 11,323ha in northern NSW have been listed for sale with a giant price tag in one of the top farm offerings to hit the rural property market this spring.

Plumthorpe Station, located in the Banoon Valley near Barraba, is scheduled for auction on November 9 where it could make about $80 million.

The aggregation includes Plumthorpe (4110.05ha), Campo Santo (2747.50ha) and Mayvale (4465.64ha) with the farms to be offered as a whole and individually via an online auction.

Plumthorpe was originally formed in 1888, and together with Mayvale and Campo Santo, the aggregation has been owned by some of Australia’s most renowned pastoral families.

The Carter, Wilson, Burdekin, Capel, Vickery, Madden and McHugh families have all owned a portion of the aggregation during the past 130 years.

Plumthorpe is also has a historic circa-1936 11-bedroom homestead fully-restored and well-maintained.

The Plumthorpe aggregation is also set on some of the Barraba region’s most productive land.

As a whole the farm has a capacity to carry about 80,000 to 85,000 DSE or about 4000 to

4500 breeding cows.

An 11-bedroom homestead standing since 1936 is on the Plumthorpe farm.

Plumthorpe has the capacity for 30,000-33,000 DSE, 1500 breeding cows, Campo Santo can carry about 19,500-20,500 DSE and 1200 breeding cows while Mayvale has the capacity for about 30,000-35,000 DSE and 1600 breeding cows.

Hart Rural Agencies and Meares and Associates are handling the sale via a Meares Simultaneous Online Auction.

Meares and Associates rural property principal Chris Meares said the Plumthorpe aggregation was likely to attract a premium price.

“Given recent sales of similar type of country property equating to $20,000 and up

to $28,000 per cow area, it is expected that the aggregation will sell for around

$80 million, while the individual holdings should range from $20 million to $25 million and upwards each,” he said.

“Apart from the scarcity of similar type holdings, the ability to purchase the breeding herd on farm, together with the plant equipment on a walk-in, walkout basis makes the investment even more attractive.”

Earlier this year Greg Upton and family sold their 2668ha northern NSW cattle farm prior to auction for a figure about $80 million.

The Plumthorpe aggregation has operated as a beef breeding, backgrounding and fattening property, usually conservatively running about 4000 Angus breeding cows and

followers.

It is expected offers for the Plumthorpe aggregation could fall between $20,000 to $28,000 per cow area.

Followers have then been grown to feedlot weights in excess of 400kg live weight.

During the peak of the season on-farm numbers can reach 9000 head of cattle.

The farms also have the capacity for prime lamb production, cereal and fodder cropping and pasture production.

There are also four staff cottages, five sets of large cattle yards, 350 tonnes of grain storage, two wool sheds and various other hay and machinery sheds.

Successful bidders on the farm will be able to subsequently bid to purchase the livestock and plant.

Plumthorpe aggregation joins several blue-ribbon farms to hit the market ahead of a spring selling season expected to be defined by strong demand and tight supply.