Karabeal, Ballyrogan and Cressy: Three western Victorian farms snapped up

A trio of family farms in Victoria’s west have been sold for millions, including one that had been owned by the same family for 150 years.

The McIntyre family’s five-farm aggregation near Dunkeld has been sold.

Three family-owned western Victorian farms have been sold after hitting the market last spring with a combined price guide north of $27 million.

Located at 53 RW McIntyres Rd, Karabeal, 16km southeast of Dunkeld, the McIntyre family’s 561.76ha five-farm aggregation has been sold to three local buyers.

A local grazing family has acquired Northwood (398.5ha), Northwood Homestead (259.23ha) and The Red Gums (70.55ha).

When the McIntyre family aggregation was listed for sale, Northwood had a price guide of $4.4 million, Northwood Homestead $2.88 million and Redgums $780,000.

In a separate deal, adjoining neighbours to the Millers block (163.2ha) purchased the property. It was listed for sale for $1.8 million.

Finally, a district family purchased 68.78ha Woolshed, which was for sale for circa $765,000.

Details of sales remain undisclosed due to confidentiality agreements.

After five generations and 150 years of ownership, the McIntyre family have sold their Karabeal aggregation.

Located on the western side of the Grampians, overlooking Mt Abrupt, the Karabeal farms had been in the McIntyre family since 1872, totalling more than 150 years of family ownership.

The farms had been used for superfine wool production, but were also suited to prime lambs, some cropping and cattle pursuits.

WOODSIDE, BALLYROGAN

About 100km east of the McIntyre family’s aggregation, the Dyer family have sold their 585ha Woodside farm, at Ballyrogan.

Woodside had been owned by the Dyer family for well in excess of 70 years, run as a mixed farming enterprise on two lots, 15km southeast of Ararat.

A local buyer from the Ballyrogan region secured the property as a whole for an undisclosed price.

Last year the property was listed for sale for offers at $14,826 or better a hectare, meaning it could have been worth $8.67 million-plus.

A member of the selling family, Mark Dyer, said the property first came into the family’s hands just after the end of World War II.

“My grandfather bought it for an uncle of mine, who owned it until the mid-sixties when we bought it,” Mark said.

“Dad and I originally operated Hereford and superfine Merino studs there and did very little cropping.

The Dyer family have sold their Ballyrogan farm after 70 years of ownership.

“But as time went on we took up more and more of it until we were putting 80 per cent of the land under crop.”

POTTERS RD, CRESSY

Meanwhile a Victorian farming family with existing interests in the Golden Plains region has purchased a 321ha cropping property at Cressy for an undisclosed price.

The property was listed for sale with a price guide of $24,710-plus a hectare for a total of $7.93 million.

Charlie Cameron has sold the Potters Rd farm due to the farming family’s business restructuring plans, after purchasing it in 2020.

“It was formerly a sheep and cropping farm, but we’ve developed it into two large

cropping paddocks,” Mr Cameron said.

He said the property was considered about 90 per cent arable with previous yields of 2.5 tonnes a hectare for canola and five tonnes for wheat.”

Charles Stewart and Co director Nick Adamson handled the sale of the Karabeal farms while Michael Stewart handled the sales of the Ballyrogan and Cressy properties.

Recently, the Angliss family descendants have listed for sale their iconic western Victorian farm, the 4000ha Greystones.