Two Goulburn Valley farms, Seymour Park Aggregation and Ridd’s Block sold

The value of Wimmera cropping farms is holding firm, with a tightly held block at Wal Wal making millions at auction.

Four premier Victorian family farms have been snapped up at auctions across the state in deals worth almost $30 million combined. 

A pioneering farming family’s 65-year tenure of Ridd’s Block, near Wal Wal, has ended after the farm was sold through an auction on Friday, with an undisclosed local farming family securing the property. 

The 349ha cropping block, comprising four lots, was listed for sale in September with a price guide of about $20,994 a hectare ($8500 an acre) for a total of about $7-$7.5 million. 

It is understood the undisclosed buyers purchased the property as a whole for an undisclosed price about expectations.

The vendors’ ancestors were one of the original pioneering settling families on the Wimmera plains near Minyip. 

Ridd’s Block had been under lease by a local farmer in recent years and was fully planted to canola in 2022, but could be used for wheat, barley, beans and oat cropping or for sheep grazing.

The 349ha Ridd’s Block, near Wal Wal, was sold through an online auction on Friday.

Ray White Rural Victoria selling agent Max Brown marketed the property. 

Mr Brown said there was about six or so interested bidders in Ridd’s Block, with the sale comparable to other Wimmera cropping farms sold earlier this year and late last year.

On Thursday Septemeber 13 Joyce Ussher and Noel Baulch sold their three-lot 398ha Seymour Park aggregation, at Heywood, with three buyers each securing a slice.

The southwest Victorian grazing blocks were purchased by local and other Victorian interests for a total of about $9 million.

The largest lot of the three, Freds (163ha), was purchased with a highest bid of $26,626 a hectare, or $4.34 million in total.

A winning bid of $18,265 a hectare secured Wheelers Hill (126ha) for $2.3m, while Gowan Brae (108ha) was purchased for $2.447 million with a bid of $22,659 a hectare.

A1 Real Estate Solutions selling agent Michael Goldby said the size of the Seymour Park aggregation blocks attracted more buyers to the market.

The Seymour Park Aggregation was sold in three lots for about $9 million.

“We had a huge amount of interest and registered buyers; as many as we have had for quite some time,” he said.

Ms Ussher and Mr Baulch have owned the aggregation for 12 years, using it predominantly for beef grazing and some prime lamb production.

In the Goulburn Valley, a tightly held grazing farm at Gowangardie has been sold for the first time in its history, with a top bid of $8.8 million through auction.

Gippsland dairy producers, the Miller family, purchased the 556ha property from Ivan and Nola Frederick, after the farm had been held in the family since 1878.

The auction opened at about $6 million with the Millers eventually bidding higher than several other competing neighbours.

The purchase continues the Miller family’s expansion into the Goulburn Valley, adding the Gowangardie farm to properties at Katandra and Cosgrove, where the Millers are increasing their grazing and cropping enterprise to run alongside their dairy farms.

The Frederick family’s Gowangardie farm was subdivided into 20 paddocks with heavy carrying capacity on Caniambo district soil types varying from light stony rises to alluvial red country.

John and Margaret Thorp have sold their irrigated mixed farm, Loughrae at Barmah

Further north, after a family tenure dating back to 1876, John and Margaret Thorp have sold their irrigated mixed farm at Barmah for $4.5 million.

At auction on Thursday, the 224ha farm was sold to a Victorian-based buyer.

Loughrae at Barmah, which borders the Broken Creek, has been owned by the Thorp family for 146 years, most recently growing canola or Sceptre wheat.

The farm also traditionally grew lucerne and ran about 2200 head of lamb, but was destocked.