Gundaline Station, Kentucky Blue, Point Farms: $200m worth of NSW farms for sale

Five premier NSW farms worth more than $200m combined have hit the market, including the 14,916ha Dutch-owned Gundaline Station.

Five first-class NSW farms have been listed for sale with combined offers for each set to total more than $200 million.

Top-notch cattle farms from the Riverina to the New England region are on offer, while two large-scale irrigated cropping enterprises are also for sale.

Dutch investors Optifarm, are selling Gundaline Station after purchasing it in 2018.

GUNDALINE STATION, CARRATHOOL

VENDOR: Optifarm
PRICE: more than $100 million
SALE: expressions of interest with the first stage closing 4PM (AEDT) Tuesday, November 15.

After four years in the hands of Dutch agricultural investors Optifarm, one of Australia’s largest irrigated cotton and cropping farms, Gundaline Station is for sale.

The renowned property was originally listed for sale in July 2020, but was taken off the market due to the effects of Covid-19.

Optifarm purchased Gundaline for a reported $65 million in 2018, but are now looking to sell the holding for more than $100 million.

The farm has been sold multiple times in the past decade with the Dutch fund purchasing the property from Southern Agricultural Resources, which acquired the station in 2014 from the Twynam Agricultural Group for a reported $25 million.

Spanning 14,916ha, Gundaline has 6000ha developed to flood irrigation with the balance comprising dryland cropping and grazing.

Gundaline station has been run by Customised Farm Management in recent years.

750ha are being offered as suitable for further development for a range of intensive horticultural pursuits.

Gundaline, which has been run by Customised Farm Management, has access to 12,500ML Lower Murrumbidgee groundwater (zone 2), 690ML low security river water and 2329ML of Murrumbidgee River supplementary water.

Gundaline also has an approved extraction limit (groundwater) of 18,000ML a year with 17,000ML on-farm water storage.

Max and Jenny Mawhinney are selling Kentucky Blue and The Flags near Niangala-Walcha, NSW.

KENTUCKY BLUE AND THE FLAGS

VENDORS: Max and Jenny Mawhinney
PRICE: $55-$65 million
SALE: via Meares Simultaneous Online Auction commencing 11am December 7 and concluding noon AEST December 8.

Two livestock farms owned by one family in the Niangala-Walcha region on the northern tablelands of NSW are for sale at a premium price.

Kentucky Blue and The Flags comprise a total area of 3645ha of which about 2350ha are dedicated high performance pasture country.

The Mawhinney family first moved to the area in 2001 and over time accumulated the two holdings.

They have concentrated their efforts on developing the properties as two beef breeding operations, but they could also operate as backgrounding and fattening holdings.

Kentucky Blue and The Flags has a carrying capacity of 2750 cows and 40,000 dry sheep equivalents.

Kentucky Blue spans 2177ha with 930ha of established pasture and a carrying capacity of 1100 cows or 14,500 dry sheep equivalent.

The Flags is 1467ha of which 1415ha are established pastures with a 1650-cow carrying capacity and 25,500 dry sheep equivalents.

Kentucky Blue and The Flags will be offered for sale as a whole and also separately with the chance to purchase livestock.

Kentucky Blue and The Flags are also neighbouring farms to Upton Farms, which sold in April to the Rae family for more than $80 million.

POINT FARMS, DARLINGTON POINT

VENDORS: Stott family via Agrinova
SALE: expressions of interest closing Friday November 18 at 4pm

Two years after it was first placed on the market the Stott family’s Point Farms aggregation at Darlington Point has been listed for sale again.

In October 2020, the Stott family via Agrinova Pty Ltd offered its Point Farms irrigated cropping and almond aggregation at Darlington Point in the NSW Riverina for sale with price expectations of $50-$60 million.

NSW property records show no transaction was completed at the time, with the cotton, wheat, canola and almond-producing powerhouse listed for sale again two years later.

The 2142ha Point Farms aggregation consists of four parcels — Point Farms, Hastings, Cattanach’s and Wetareel and boasts significant water assets including almost 12,000ML of groundwater and river entitlement.

There are also on-farm water storages with a capacity of more than 900ML.

The aggregation has 1458ha of flood irrigation row cropping, an additional 43ha of partly developed irrigation, 137ha of almonds with room for further expansion and 504ha of support land.

Ray White Rural Forbes selling agent Kim Watts is handling the sale with expressions of interest closing Friday November 18 at 4pm.

The Garnock family have held South Bukalong for six generations

SOUTH BUKALONG, BOMBALA

VENDOR: Garnock family
PRICE: $14-$15 million
SALE: auction on Thursday October 27 at 10am via AuctionPlus

After being held by the Garnock family for six generations, the 1919ha South Bukalong farm, located in the NSW Monaro region is for sale.

The family farm is scheduled for auction on Thursday October 27 at 10am via AuctionPlus, with price expectations at about $14-$15 million.

South Bukalong was originally founded by George Henry Garnock who arrived from Scotland in 1825 and ended up purchasing South Bukalong in 1842.

Following a decade working with the Macarthur family establishing Australia’s first Merino Stud, he chose to branch out on his own with a view to producing the finest Merino Wool in Australia.

Still run by the Garnock family, South Bukalong offers livestock breeding land suitable for wool, prime lambs and beef production and has an estimated carrying capacity of 12,000-15,000 dry sheep equivalents.

The farm also includes a five-bedroom, four-bathroom homestead surrounded by established gardens with a tennis court.

Inglis Rural Property CEO and selling agent Sam Triggs said South Bukalong was a first-class offering.

“South Bukalong represents one of the premier holdings in the Snowy Monaro region having been progressively developed over several generations for nearly 170 years,” he said.

GREEN VALLEY, TARCUTTA

VENDOR: Pat and Lachie McAlister
PRICE: more than $10 million
SALE: auction Friday November 18 at 11am, Tarcutta RSL Club

Green Valley, a 2346ha livestock farm at Tarcutta, 40 minutes southeast of Wagga Wagga in the NSW Riverina is on the market.

A part of Green Valley has been owned by members of the McAlister family since the 1930s, with brothers Pat and Lachie now retiring.

With an average annual rainfall of about 744mm, Green Valley has a carrying capacity of about 500 cows or 10,000 dry sheep equivalents across its southwest slopes.

Nutrien Harcourts Wagga Wagga selling agent Sally Douglas is handling the sale with the farm to be auctioned at the Tarcutta RSL Club on Friday November 18 at 11am.