NSW farms sell for more than $110 million combined

A NSW family has offloaded its historic 3026ha farm for more than $30 million, while red meat processor Roger Fletcher has bought a 8820ha aggregation.

A pair of farms in the NSW Riverina and three others in the north of the state have changed hands in a series of separate deals worth more than $110 million combined.

Property records show major red meat processor Roger Fletcher and family have purchased the 8828ha Darriwell Aggregation, a first-class mixed-farming portfolio of 19 farms located northeast of Trundle in the Central West of NSW, amalgamated by the Jones family across the last 66 years.

Across the aggregation 1083ha of canola crop and 2355ha of wheat were planted this year, running in combination with the Darriwell Merino Stud, 7000 Merino ewe flock and 2000 crossbred lambs.

Brothers Russell, Lloyd and Geoffrey Jones added to and meticulous managed the 19 holdings, some of which are contiguous, to form the Darriwell Aggregation.

Following the transaction the Fletcher family has added the Darriwell Aggregation to its existing holdings including Kiargathur Station near Condobolin and farmland in the state’s northwest near Lightning Ridge.

Alongside the agricultural interests, the Fletcher family runs Fletcher International Exports, an integrated processor and exporter of lamb and sheepmeat products.

Elders Real Estate NSW Rural agents Chris Malone and Brian McAneney handled the sale of the Darriwell Aggregation.

Meanwhile in the state’s New England region, Mark and Angie Berry have sold the historic 3026ha Emu Creek farm, calling time on their family’s six generations and 155 years on the livestock fattening and breeding property.

When the property was listed for sale last year, it was offered in two parts, Emu Creek East (1735ha) plus Emu Creek Homestead (1291ha), priced at $13.8 and $18.4 million respectively.

The circa-1908 Emu Creek homestead.

Details about the buyer and value of the detail remain undisclosed due to confidentiality arrnagements, with settlement to occur in the coming weeks for the property, which is understood to have sold in one line.

Emu Creek has the capacity to carry 25,000 dry sheep equivalents, and was conservatively stocked with a mixture of late-spring calving cows, replacement heifers and Dorper ewes lambing on a nine-month cycle in recent seasons.

The Emu Creek property was founded in 1868 when it was originally purchased by George Robert Gill for one pound per acre — the minimum price for rural land at the time.

Mr Gill gradually transformed Emu Creek into a superfine wool growing enterprise, comprising at one time more than 40,498ha (100,000 acres).

In 1874, Mr Gill was the first to import Vermont Merino sheep from San Francisco to Australia to establish his flock.

Then in 1908, George Robert Gill II built the existing homestead that now sits in a two hectare (five-acre) garden and is home to the family’s sixth generation.

Singapore family office, Silverstrand Capital, is selling the 2842ha Mt Nombi aggregation, near Gunnedah NSW.

Elsewhere in the state, Singaporean investment fund, Silverstrand Capital has sold the remainder of its northern NSW farmland, offloading the 2842ha Mt Nombi holding for $18 million.

Dubbo producer Eric Sharwood has purchased the property after Mt Nombi was placed on the market earlier this year following three years of ownership.

In August last year, Silverstrand Capital listed the four-farm, 4954ha Wyuna Aggregation, where it was expected to receive offers worth about $30 million as a whole.

About 2100ha was carved off and sold to neighbours, with the remainder aggregated to form the new Mt Nombi landholding, listed for sale in May this year.

Mt Nombi was offered as a mixed farming aggregation comprising 1400ha developed for dryland cropping, 1184ha used for grazing, and 258ha comprising timbered grazing and remnant vegetation. LAWD senior director Col Medway handled the sale of both Emu Creek and Mt Nombi.

The Simpson family have sold two parts of their 1564ha Wangamong Aggregation, situated 98km northwest of Albury, and 49km north of Mulwala.

Meanwhile in the south of the state, the Simpson family has sold 933ha of its 1564ha Wangamong Aggregation, offloading two properties to a Victorian-based farming family.

The 512ha Wangamong and 421ha Wangamong West have been sold for undisclosed sum, while the 631ha Wangamong East remains on the market.

Listed for sale in September this year the Wangamong Aggregation was expected to field offers worth $12,350 a hectare, having been used for mainly continuous cropping of canola, wheat and barley in recent seasons.

Negotiations are ongoing for the remaining 631ha Wangamong East portion of the aggregation. Elders Deniliquin agent Matt Horne handled the sale of the Wangamong properties.

Finally, a private local family have sold their 433ha mixed-farming property, North Broadway, located 10km north of Holbrook.

The farmland was listed for sale in September this year, priced at more than $10 million, equating to more than $23,000 a hectare. The buyer and value of the deal remain undisclosed.

Elders state real estate manager Victoria-Riverina and selling agent Nick Myer and agent Henry Mackinnon handled the sale.