Huggins family to sell Willah, at Balmoral, with $27m-plus price tag

A Riverina farming family are selling their 2000ha grazing and cropping property in Victoria’s Western District.

A family-owned 2000ha Western District grazing and cropping property farm with highly-sought after size and scale has hit the market in a rare turnkey offering.

NSW Riverina farmers, the Huggins family, of Hay, are selling their Balmoral farm Willah – a Merino, crossbred lamb and beef cattle operation, producing high quality fine to medium wool.

The 2085ha farm is held in one adjoining lot and is tipped to attract offers upward of $27 million.

Market indications show the farm, which has a carrying capacity of 22,000 DSE (11.5 DSE per ha), could fetch $13,000-$14,000 per hectare, or $1250-$1320 per DSE.

CBRE’s David Goodfellow, Matt Childs and Shane McIntyre together with South Australia’s TDC Property are handling the sale with expressions of interest closing Friday, June 10.

TDC Livestock and Property rural property specialist and selling agent Tom Pearce said he expected a farm of this size to attract interest from Victorian and interstate farming families.

“We will see a little bit of corporate interest, but the family farms have been stepping up to these bigger properties. They have been more active in that marketplace,” he said.

Willah, at Balmoral has a carrying capacity of 22,000 DSE.

CBRE Agribusiness managing director David Goodfellow said Willah may also attract buyers from outside Australia.

“This amazing property will be of interest to both local and global investors because of its scale, productivity, and potential for further development,” he said.

Willah, located in the Southern Grampians, is in the midst of some of Victoria’s most valuable farmland according to a recent farmland values report.

The Huggins family purchased Willah several years ago to preserve their breeding flock during the NSW drought, with the farm’s reliable rainfall, scale and well-sheltered country making it an astute purchase.

Eighty-five per cent (1770ha) of the property is considered arable and more than 95 per cent (1980ha) could be grazed.

Willah is located at 6575 Natimuk-Hamilton Rd, Balmoral.

Willah contains a mixture of pastures ranging from phalaris, various clovers, and multiple selected rye-grasses.

Located 80km south of Horsham and 60km north of Hamilton the farm also offers spectacular views of the Grampians National Park with native redgums and the Yarramyljup Creek shaping the landscape.

It comes as last month a stunning Dunkeld farm was listed for sale for the first time in more than 40 years with a $22.5m-plus price tag.