Cropping property for sale: Oodnadatta Farms at Moree

Hugh Ball and his family set about transforming Oodnadatta Farms after buying it in 2002, and the end result is admirable, according to selling agent Col Medway.

Carefully planned: Oodnadatta Farms is an efficient operation, which has historically been used for dryland cropping.

WHEN Hugh Ball developed his Moree, NSW, property he drew on all his experience.

As a former contractor and with involvement in leading agricultural enterprises, he knew exactly what was needed to make a property efficient.

He and his family set about transforming Oodnadatta Farms after buying it in 2002, and the end result is admirable, according to selling agent Col Medway.

MOREE

OODNADATTA FARMS

PROPERTY: Cropping

SIZE: 3163ha

SALE: Expressions of interest close October 3

PRICE: About $27.5 million

AGENT: CBRE

CONTACT: Col Medway, 0428 481 243

“This property has a superb layout, is efficient and has aspects like high-quality internal roads, which lead to increased efficiency when harvesting or spraying,” Mr Medway said.

“It even comes down to having water points throughout the farm which can be used for spraying — cutting down travel time to go fill up (spray tanks).”

Mr Medway is a fan of what he calls the Golden Triangle, an area of land around Moree, and of Oodnadatta because of its capacity to grow winter and summer crops.

“The beauty of the district is that if you miss out on rain for a winter crop and miss the window, then you can roll around and go for a summer crop if it rains,” he said.

Oodnadatta Farms is 3163ha and is planted to wheat and barley, with some of the country in fallow for a 2019-20 summer crop.

It has a recently renovated three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with an inground pool, as well as a standalone office and boardroom. It also has staff quarters and a three-bedroom cottage.

Farm improvements include a bunded chemical storage area built this year, machinery sheds, workshops, all-weather airstrip, soil probes, weather stations across the farm and a GPS tower to allow RTK machinery guidance.

Mr Medway said historically, the property had been used for dryland cropping producing winter and summer crops including wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas, sorghum and dryland cotton.

These crops are grown on soil types including grey and black self-mulching clays throughout the entire farm.

The Ball family have been leasing the neighbouring property Grainfields, also up for sale.

The two properties have essentially been run as the one operation, with Grainfields offering buyers an additional 2030ha.