MacCue family’s Wilga, Noonameena cattle farms listed for sale

Two farms, one feedlot and more than 6000ha of tightly held farmland are on the market and tipped to fetch millions.

Two premier holdings in the NSW New England region have hit the market, with an estimated combined value worth millions.

The 2116ha Wilga aggregation, at Bellata, has been listed for sale by owner Ian MacCue with offers expected to top $25 million.

Wilga (1080ha) and Woodlands (1036ha) make up the mixed farming Wilga aggregation located at Brigalow Lane, Bellata, 50km from both Moree and Narrabri.

The farms have been tightly held by the MacCue family, hitting the market for the first time since they were purchased in 1964 with expressions of interest closing July 6.

The 2116ha of adjoining farmland is expected to fetch offers upward of $22-23m, while a 3200 head feedlot with a licence for 5000 head and space for expansion is expected to push offers above $25m.

BJA Stock and Station Agents managing director and selling agent Bob Jamieson said Victorian buyers and neighbouring farming families have shown significant interest in the Wilga aggregation.

Wilga (1080ha) and Woodlands (1036ha) make up the mixed farming Wilga aggregation.

“The farms are absolutely first-class,” he said.

“There is also reliable rainfall which has ensured the MacCue’s have not missed a crop in the 46 years they have lived at Wilga.”

Across the aggregation there are wheat (622ha) and cotton crops (227ha) with 1585ha of cultivation country available.

There are also pasture paddocks that have been used for breeding or backgrounding cattle.

Meanwhile, two hours east of Wilga, and one hour south of Inverell, the 3957ha Noonameena cattle farm has been scheduled for auction.

A local family is selling the property, which has been run with low inputs and well-below capacity.

LJ Hooker Inverell selling agent Wayne Daley said buyers would be attracted to the size and scale of Noonameena.

“There are two main features; it is hard to find country that has this carrying capacity and also hard to find property that has the ability for future scope for increasing carrying capacity,” he said.

The 3957ha Noonameena farm is scheduled for auction on July 5.

“It is tricky to determine how much it is worth because some buyers may want to keep running it with low inputs while others may want to increase its carrying capacity.”

Recently, Central Queensland cattle farmers and Australian wagyu pioneers the Rea family, through the Rea Pastoral Co., secured two Inverell farms in deals worth more than $13m combined.

One farm sold for more than $9881 a hectare while another fetched more than $6176 a hectare indicating Noonameena could command a strong price on or before the auction on July 5.

Noonameena has a current carrying capacity of 1200-head and is stocked with 800 PTIC females and 120 replacement heifers, with 600 of these available for purchase.

Mr Daley said he has received interest from NSW, Queensland and South Australian buyers so far.

Earlier this year the 2575ha Paradise Creek station, at Inverell in the New England region, was sold to the Wilmot Cattle Company in a deal believed to be worth in excess of $22m.