Amos family selling Burrenbah Aggregation, Mackay family selling North Queensland farms

A Merino farming family are selling their 8198ha station after 134 years on the land, while Australia’s largest banana producers are calling time after 75 years.

Two longstanding Australian farming families have decided to call time on their farming ventures, offering some first-class properties to market.

After 134 years and five generations the Amos family are selling their 8198ha Burrenbah aggregation at Mungindi on the NSW-Queensland border.

The Burrenbah Aggregation, comprising a 4148ha freehold portion Burrenbah and the 4050ha western lands lease Nilgie, has been used by the Amos family for their merino breeding operation.

The station is believed to be one of the oldest single-family-owned operations in NSW, dating back to 1891 when Col Amos helped build the Queensland-NSW rabbit-proof fence.

Prosser Hutton selling agent Peter Prosser said the Amos family’s decision to sell the property was a difficult one.

The station is for sale via expressions of interest which close on September 14.

Meanwhile in North Queensland the Mackay family are selling their massive tropical fruit enterprise.

Owned by the Mackay family for 75 years, the 5861ha Mackay Farming Group portfolio has grown from a hobby farm to become the home of Australia’s largest banana producer.

Located in the Tully and Lakeland districts, the nine-farm portfolio, which produces about 13 per cent of Australia’s banana production, could reportedly fetch offers worth $180 million.

Mackay Farming Group chief executive officer Alex Hutton said their portfolio has a strong history with the Mackay family.

Australia's leading banana grower, Mackay Farming Group are selling their 5861ha North Queensland portfolio.

“We are offering a farming and production portfolio which began when Stanley Mackay planted his first crop of bananas in 1945,” he said.

JLL Agribusiness agents Chris Holgar, Geoff Warriner, Clayton Smith and Jock Grimshaw are selling the portfolio by expressions of interest.

“The Mackay family has strategically amassed nine individual land holdings for banana production and other tropical fruits such as red papaya, coffee, and cacao and other crops now being introduced,” Mr Holgar said.

“In addition to fruit production, large scale sugarcane plantings and a complementary beef cattle enterprise are included.”

4453ha of the portfolio are arable, with 1262ha for permanent crops 2407ha used for irrigated and dryland cropping with 1219ha used as grazing land.

The pair of notable listings come after Laurie family sold their 1030ha grazing property Riamukka last month, ending their tenure which spanned seven generations and more than 170 years.