Australian Fresh Milk Holdings have purchased Torrumbarry Estate in northern Victoria

EXCLUSIVE: One of Australia’s biggest dairy operators has purchased Torrumbarry Estate in northern Victoria.

Whey ahead: Australian Fresh Milk Holdings has purchased Torrumbarry Estate in northern Victoria.

EXCLUSIVE: AUSTRALIA’S biggest dairy farming operators have snapped up one of Victoria’s premier milking enterprises.

The Weekly Times understands Australian Fresh Milk Holdings has purchased the 2051ha Torrumbarry Estate, west of Echuca, which was on the market for about $20 million. AFMH is also believed to have purchased an additional 810ha of adjoining land.

A sold sticker has been affixed to the billboard advertising the sale at the entrance to Torrumbarry Estate but selling agent Peter Ryan of CBRE Agribusiness told The Weekly Times the terms of the sale prevented him from commenting.

It’s understood the sale has not yet been finalised.

Torumbarry Estate dairy for sale

AFMH is a partnership between the Moxey and Perich families, with Freedom Foods holding a 10 per cent stake. AFMH co-managing director Michael Perich declined to comment on the sale when contacted by The Weekly Times today.

Torrumbarry Estate is AFMH’s second major purchase in Victoria in the past 12 months. In January it finalised its purchase of the Coomboona Dairy at Undera in the Goulburn Valley for about $46 million.

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Coomboona, which runs 2500 dairy cows producing about 30 million litres of milk annually, was previously owned by retail giant Harvey Norman but placed into receivership last March.

AFM, which was reportedly forecast to produce more than 150 million litres of milk this year, also operate the fully-integrated Moxey Farms dairy business at Gooloogong in centralwest NSW.

Torrumbarry Estate runs about 1100 dairy cows, includes about 800ha of developed irrigation and comes with 5000 megalitres of water. Improvements include a 50-unit rotary dairy, a 400-cow feed pad and a 10-bedroom home.

Torrumbarry Estate was listed for sale earlier this year. Expressions of interest closed in June.