Dundonald, Ridd’s Blocks and Glendhu Valley: Wimmera family farms for sale

As the spring selling season heats up four Wimmera farms have hit the market, valued at more than $25 million combined.

A spate of family farms located at the heart of Victoria’s highly productive Wimmera region have hit the market.

Separate family farms, three predominantly cropping and one grazing, are for sale with four family enterprises looking to downsize or retire from agriculture.

With cropping farms in hot demand across Victoria, offers for the four Wimmera farms are likely to hit more than $25 million combined.

DUNDONALD, MARNOO

3423 DONALD-STAWELL RD

628HA CROPPING

The Douglas family have held the 628ha Dundonald farms for more than 120 years.

Jaimie and Sally-Anne Douglas have put 628ha of blue-ribbon cropping country at Marnoo on the market after 120 years of ownership by their family.

Their Dundonald aggregation is 95 per cent arable and comprises four lots; Home Block (191.4ha), Floras (194.2ha), Plantation (129.5ha) and Creswicks Well (113ha).

The property is for sale as a whole or in four lots, with comparable sales in the district indicating the aggregation could field offers of more than $17,300 a hectare or about $10.8 million in total.

The Douglas family are selling their Dundonald aggregation, with plans to scale back to their home block at Beazley’s Bridge near St Arnaud.

Mr and Mrs Douglas purchased the farmland from Ms Douglas’ parents about 26 years ago, continuously cropping the property for the past 15 years with a canola, beans and barley rotation.

Driscoll Douglas East Rural Real Estate selling agent Brett Douglas said he expected Dundonald to attract the interest of buyers from a variety of regions.

“We think the farms will be attractive to a local purchaser but we also expect interest from all parts,” he said.

“Sales around the district indicate the farms could receive offers about $7000-plus an acre or $17,300 a hectare.

In the past 12 months the value of Victorian cropping farmland increased by a staggering 78 per cent with the median price per hectare soaring to $10,200, according to Rabobank’s Australian Agricultural Land Price Outlook 2022.

RIDD’S BLOCK, WAL WAL

STAWELL-WARRACKNABEAL RD AND RIDD RD

349HA CROPPING

The 349ha Ridd’s Block is for sale for the first time since 1957.

About 45km south of Dundonald, the 349ha Ridd’s Block is for sale for the first time in 65 years.

The vendors’ ancestors were one of the original pioneering settling families on the Wimmera plains near Minyip, with Ridd’s Block has been tightly held since 1957.

Comparable sales in the district indicate the property could field offers of more than $20,994 a hectare at auction on October 21 for a total of $7-$7.5 million.

Ridd’s Block has been under lease by a local farmer in recent years and is currently fully planted to canola, but could be used for wheat, barley, beans and oat cropping or for sheep grazing.

NORTH PLAINS, MARNOO WEST

MINGAWALLA RD

260HA MIXED FARMING

North Plains at Mingawalla Rd, Marnoo is on offer for about $4-$4.5 million.

A well-known cropping and livestock holding 17km south of Dundonald, which has been farmed by the same family for more than 60 years, is also for sale.

North Plains is scheduled for auction on Friday October 7 at 1pm at the Wallaloo Golf Club where it will be offered in two lots.

The 260ha farm is expected to fetch bids totalling $4-$4.5 million or $17,307 a hectare.

Lot 1 is 53.82ha at Soldiers Rd and is completely arable with excellent soil health and input history plus access to GWM Water.

Lot 2 at Mingawalla Rd is 206.79ha of gently undulating well-drained country with excellent soil health and input history with access to GWM water.

GLENDHU VALLEY

CROWLANDS

408HA MIXED FARMING

Glendhu Valley at Crowlands was once used as a lamb feedlot for 10 years for an export abattoir, fattening and processing 25,000 and 30,000 lambs per year.

Perry Richards is selling his 408ha Glendhu Valley farm, 65km southeast of Ridd’s Block, after more than five decades of ownership.

Mr Richards purchased the property in 1968, establishing a fat lamb enterprise that breeds and sells about 2500 lambs each year, alongside 400-500 Merino ewes.

Glendhu Valley is for sale via expressions of interest closing October 14 and is expected to field offers greater than $4.8 million.

Further south, John and Jess Skermer and family are selling their 711ha Lime Creek farm near Chatsworth, in Victoria’s west, with offers of more than $16 million expected for the developed property.