Five NSW farms on the market for $175 million combined
Several stellar NSW farms have been listed for sale including a historic 160-year-old property and a 5000ha holding owned by a UK businessman.
Five premier properties in NSW, ranging between the state’s New England region to the Southern Tablelands, have hit the market where they could be worth about $175 million combined.
WIRRIBILLA, WALCHA NSW
5003 hectares
Vendors: Sam Swire (UK)
Price: more than $70 million
Offers greater than $70 million are tipped for the 5003ha Wirribilla, a landmark grazing property 20km southwest of Walcha in the NSW New England region.
The property was previously part of the Swire Group’s Clyde Agriculture portfolio, after they acquired it in 2004, but it was bought by family member and UK businessman Sam Swire in 2013 amid the Group offloading their $300 million Clyde Agriculture portfolio.
This divestment saw the Swire Group exit Australian agriculture as they sold ten properties spanning 270,000ha across northern NSW and southern Queensland Group between 2010 and 2014.
The Swire family fortune was built off the back of major global logistics business John Swire & Sons business, which ran China Navigation, Cathay Pacific Airways and the Frigmobile refrigerated transport.
LAWD agents Col Medway and Daniel McCulloch are handling the sale of Wirribilla, via expressions of interest closing November 21, where they are expecting corporate farming families and institutional investors to show interest.
“Wirribilla is suited to any combination of cattle and sheep, comfortably rated to carry 73,000 dry sheep equivalent annually,” Mr Medway said.
“Buyers will be first attracted to the productive capacity, but may consider natural capital opportunities too.
“Queensland-based Wagyu breeders have shown interest in the New England region recently, so it will be interesting to see what happens.”
Wirribilla has been under the management of Micheal Campbell for more than 20 years, producing beef and prime lamb at Wirribilla, where pastures have been improved across 87 per cent of the property.
FUNNY HILL, CROOKWELL NSW
3860 hectares
Vendors: Carr family
Price: $60 million-plus (land and improvements)
A historic grazing property on the Southern Tablelands is also back on the market, two years after it was first listed, where it is set to command offers worth $60 million-plus.
The Carr family have listed the 3860ha Funny Hill, an iconic pastoral enterprise and
landmark holding, which has been owned by generations of the family dating back to the 1860s.
Funny Hill, located 24km north of Crookwell, is for sale with a renowned commercial Angus
cattle herd, as a going concern, comprising 2200 high-quality breeders to be joined this
spring.
Inglis Rural Property are handling the sale via expressions of interest closing November 12.
“Intergenerational assets of this calibre, in one of New South Wales’ most sought-after and reliable districts featuring enviable scale, high-performing pastures, and turnkey operations, seldom come to market,” Inglis Rural Property selling agent Sam Triggs said.
“Considered one of the beef production powerhouses of Southern New South Wales, Funny Hill’s substantial and leading Angus herd is offered for sale as a ‘going concern’ allowing continued operation and immediate cash flow.”
Funny Hill includes the historic shearing shed (circa 1906) and a 480 sqm renovated stone homestead.
ROSEHILL AGGREGATION, INVERELL NSW
4246 hectares
Vendors: GunnAgri Partners
Price: about $19 million
Major farmland developer and investor, Gunn Agri Partners is looking to offload 4226 hectares of its northern NSW grazing country, to instead consolidate cropping pursuits elsewhere in NSW.
Gunn Agri have listed the Rosehill Aggregation for sale, which has been leased for the breeding and backgrounding of Wagyu cattle across three properties; Rocky Creek (3500 hectares), Hodges (488 hectares) and Leeton (258 hectares), located 56km northeast of Inverell.
The aggregation could be worth about $19 million as a whole, offered for sale via expressions closing October 17 via LAWD.
The Rosehill Aggregation has a carrying capacity of 17,527 dry sheep equivalent, with a further 1044 hectares of arable land suited to fodder production and cash crops in winter or summer.
A soil carbon project has been developed, and is ready for registration with the Clean Energy Regulator, spanning 1466 hectares at Rosehill.
ROSEDALE, GOULBURN NSW
1020 hectares
Vendors: Private off-farm investor
Price: $16 million-plus
After more than three decades of ownership a private off-farm investor is selling the 1020ha Rosedale, the home of a grazing property 12km from Goulburn in the NSW Southern Tablelands.
Rosedale has carried 460 Angus breeders with followers in recent seasons representing a carrying capacity of 9000-10,000 dry sheep equivalent, with a farm manager in place.
At Rosedale there is also a well-maintained four-bedroom, two-bathroom weatherboard
cottage set in established gardens along with a self-contained staff office with kitchenette.
The property is for sale via expressions of interest closing November 8.
HAZELDEAN, CROOKWELL NSW
776 hectares
Vendors: Mark and Jayne Ferguson
Price: about $8.5 million
Finally, Channel 7 newsreader Mark Ferguson and his wife Jayne, a non-executive director of Commonwealth Games Australia, are selling their picturesque working sheep and cattle property Hazeldean, at Crookwell on the NSW Southern Tablelands.
Owned by the Ferguson’s for about a decade, Hazeldean has been under long-term contract management carrying 3000 Merino ewes joined to Terminal sires for store lamb production, as well as 150 cows on agistment in a weaner production system.
The property has a carrying capacity of 7650 dry sheep equivalent, following improvements to pastures, fencing and water supply.
There is also a four-bedroom Hazeldean homestead that has been fully renovated and features a living room with open fireplace and polished timber floorboards, and a new heating system.
LAWD are handling the sale via expressions of interest closing November 7.
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