Mathieu family to sell NSW livestock farm Checkers

A 3817ha grazing farm in the NSW Central Tablelands is for sale for the first time in almost five decades.

A NSW family is selling its 3817ha grazing property located in the NSW Central Tablelands, after 45 years of renowned wool and beef production.

Frederic and Dominique Mathieu have listed their property, Checkers, for sale, which forms part of their Checkers Pastoral Company enterprise.

Thanks to a significant carrying capacity, pasture growth and secure water supply, it is expected Checkers, located at 817 Baghdad Rd, Cargo, NSW, will field offers in the vicinity of $30 million.

Inglis Rural Property’s Sam Triggs and Liam Griffiths are managing the sale, which has already gathered “significant” early interest.

“During the 45 years tenure of the current owners, the property has transitioned from a traditional high input commercial grazing enterprise to a regenerative low input sustainable grazing platform,” Mr Triggs said.

Frederic and Dominique Mathieu are selling their 3817ha property, Checkers.

“This low risk model has proved to be more drought tolerant and enabled Checkers to become more profitable year after year, whatever the season.

“Checkers is one of the largest and most historic pastoral holdings to be offered to the market in recent years in the renowned Central Tablelands regions of NSW.”

Prior to the Mathieu family’s tenure, the Ashton family was the long-term owner of the tightly-held property.

Checkers has been operated as a wool and beef production platform conservatively carrying 3500 merino ewes, 2000 wethers, 3000 hoggets, 1600 first cross ewes with 350 breeding cows plus weaners.

Checkers comprises heavy red clay loam and black basalt soils with a native and introduced pasture species and lightly scattered Box and Kurrajong timber.

The estimated carrying capacity is between 26,000 and 28,000 dry sheep equivalents.

There is a circa-1930s four-bedroom homestead with self-contained one-bedroom flat, three-bedroom manager’s house, plus two staff cottages.

Across the property there is a six-stand shearing shed, three sets of sheep yards, two steel cattle yards, machinery shed, workshop, stables and ten silos, subdivided into 64 primary paddocks with about 130km of new fencing.

Checkers also has about 800ha of Box Gum grassy woodlands which could be potential biodiversity credits available to the landowners for trading (STA).

The property is for sale via expression of interest closing March 24 at 4pm (AEDT).

Two hours south of Orange, after 120 years of ownership, the Nicholls family has sold the 2056ha Wandeen farm, at Gundagai NSW, for $28 million through auction late last year.