NSW farm sales: Cronin Pastoral Aggregation, Gumleigh at Walla Walla and Thulabin at Conargo sold

Two rarely sold Riverina properties and a Central West NSW family farm have been sold in deals worth more than $20 million combined.

Two large-scale family farms in the NSW Riverina and one aggregation in Central West NSW are in new hands after separate local buyers paid more than $20 million combined.

Two brothers with 80 years of farming history have sold their 2592ha Cronin Pastoral Aggregation at Trundle NSW, 68km south of Forbes, with three different buyers securing a slice for a total of $12.05 million.

A local buyer with a neighbouring farm smashed the district price per hectare record by about 40 per cent, paying $3.4 million or $5772 hectare for the 589ha Woodview block.

A buyer from the Orange district was the winning bidder on two blocks, paying $3.1 million for Brookfield (648ha) and $2.5 million for Roseleigh (567ha).

A separate buyer from the Trundle district also secured Glengarrie (788ha), paying $3.05 million.

The farms have been home to a multi award-winning and record-breaking First Cross Ewes breeding operation and a mixture of crops.

Nutrien Harcourts Forbes selling agent Ainslie Toole completed the transactions and said there was significant interest in the mixed farming and highly-regarded aggregation.

“The sales were a very strong result and a strong indication of the interest we have in quality country in the Trundle area,” she said.

Five hours south of Trundle, Russell and Noelene Henderson also sold Thulabin near Conargo for $5.44 million under the hammer.

The 857ha Thulabin farm near Conargo has been sold for $5.44 million.

Prominent Riverina farmers Ross and Clare Martin of Noorong Station, via Barham, purchased Thulabin to add to their expansive existing holdings.

Several years ago the Martin family purchased Hartwood Station, north of Thulabin, adding it to their major Riverina holdings of Noorong Station, Widgee and Studleigh.

Elders selling agent Matt Horne said the sale was a fitting result.

“The Henderson family have done an exceptional job transforming Thulabin into a broad scale mixed farming property with good building and support infrastructure,” he said.

“The premium achieved was due to competitive bidding from those that viewed Thulabin as a sizeable add-on opportunity to existing enterprises.”

The Hendersons purchased the 857ha farm as an add-on block 26 years ago, running self-replacing Almondvale sheep flock, winter cereals and summer rice crops.

Two hours east of Conargo, Trevor and Maree Barber have sold Gumleigh at Walla Walla after 140 years in the family name.

The 548ha farm was listed for sale in August with a price guide of about $18,038 a hectare.

At auction on September 9, the farm passed in at $9.8 million before it was sold to a local farming family shortly after for an undisclosed sum.

Gumleigh near Walla Walla has been sold by the Barber family after 140 years in the family name.

Paull & Scollard Nutrien Albury agents Tim Robinson and Michael Scollard completed the deal and said there was a strong turnout of people at the Walla Walla Bowling and Recreation Club on the day.

Mr Barber was the fourth generation on the farm after his forebears first settled in the area in 1882.

During the Barbers’ tenure they have traditionally run 1400 crossbred ewes and 1900 second-cross progeny through to export weights, balanced with up to 300ha of annual winter cropping – a rotation of wheat, barley and canola.

They also planted 5000 native species, creating tree and shrub corridors for wildlife 20m wide and running from one end of the farm to the other.

Earlier in September, the 43,334ha Glen Emu Station, in the western Riverina, was sold through auction to renowned Riverina pastoralists Bill and Pip Ryan for more than $16 million.