Edgar family to sell western Victorian farm, Nerrinyerrie, for $19.5m-plus

More than 170 years of farming history will come to a close as a local family offloads their tightly held 1660ha property at Harrow.

One of western Victoria’s oldest and most well-regarded farms has hit the market as a local family looks to wind up more than 170 years of farming history in the region.

The Edgar family are selling their 1664.5ha mixed farm Nerrinyerrie at Harrow, after holding part of the property since 1877.

Located at 6159 Coleraine Edenhope Rd, Harrow, Nerrinyerrie is expected to field offers between $19.5 million and $21 million ($11,718 to $12,620 a hectare).

The Edgars are a well-known name in the west Wimmera, farming in the Harrow district since 1848.

Nerrinyerrie was initially a part of a property called Longlands, which was purchased by the family in 1877 - meaning part of the holding has been held by the Edgars for 145 years.

TDC Livestock and Property are handling the sale, with selling agent Tom Pearce expecting the farm to grab the interest of corporate and family enterprises.

“Nerrinyerrie is widely recognised as a premier property in the Harrow district,” he said.

The Edgar family have owned part of Nerrinyerrie for more than 170 years.

“Nerrinyerrie was chosen by the founding graziers because of its production potential and it has certainly proven to be a good decision.

“It is well improved across all facets of the property; the working infrastructure being the woolshed, yards, stock water, improved pastures and machinery shedding is first class.

“It is a prized property and well deserved of its reputation within farming circles as being a property of great distinction.”

In the past 12 months multiple first-class western Victorian mixed farms have changed hands for considerable sums, including when a local buyer paid about $30 million for the Craig family’s 2500ha Tuloona Pastoral near Harrow in January.

In June, Anna and Michael Coughlan completed a $22.5m-plus deal for the 1013ha Wykeham farm at Dunkeld, acquiring it from John and Sally Robertson.

Two months later Woodpark Poll Merinos owners Steve and Carol Huggins, from Hay, sold their 2085ha Willah farm, near Balmoral, to a private farming family in a deal worth $25 million-plus.

Nerrinyerrie farm.

In recent seasons Nerrinyerrie has been home to 8500 maternal composite ewes, but was initially used for merino and wool production.

Since the 1990s about 404ha (1000 acres) have been cropped to cereals and canola.

Lucerne hay production was undertaken before the property was used to produce prime lambs, which are finished off on improved pastures, fodder crops, dryland lucerne and through an undercover feedlot to a carcass weight of 23kg to 24kg.

Nerrinyerrie has seen significant pasture renovation in recent years, and with further renovation it is estimated the property could join about 10,000 ewes.

Existing infrastructure at Nerrinyerrie includes a renovated homestead with lake views, a newly completed five stand raised board woolshed with new undercover yards and a series of electric and solar pump equipped bores used to fill satellite poly tanks around the property with dams acting as a back up.