Rothacker family sell historic Mallee farm, Ivanhoe, to Chirnside family

A northern Victorian family has purchased the majority of a 1300ha farm which had been held by the same family for 115 years.

The Rothacker hamily have sold the majority of their Mallee aggregation to local growers the Chirnside family

After a 115-year tenure, a Mallee family has sold the majority of its 1300ha property, Ivanhoe, after a 115-year tenure.

The Rothacker family listed their farm at Meering West for sale in September last year, as two adjoining lots of Ivanhoe Home (762.2ha) and Ivanhoe North (542.3ha), with a price guide of about $9.5 million.

Northern Victorian farmers David and Emily Chirnside have purchased Ivanhoe Home and about half of Ivanhoe North, entering a lease agreement for the remaining Ivanhoe North farmland.

It is understood Ivanhoe was sold for about $7673 to $7920 a hectare ($3100 to $3200 an acre).

Mr Chirnside is a processing tomato grower from Kerang, whose family has been growing tomatoes in the region for more than 30 years.

Meanwhile four generations have passed through Ivanhoe, with Helen Rothacker and her husband, Alan, in charge for the past 56 years.

The Rothacker family had used Ivanhoe as a mixed farming enterprise.

Helen’s great grandfather, William Henry Smith and his family purchased the property in 1907 when it was largely uncleared Mallee land.

Over the next 59 years, the Lester-Smith family worked the land until Helen and Alan took ownership of the farms.

Since 1966 the Rothackers have developed the farm to its current stature, using broadacre cropping practices and rotations while running a self-replacing fine wool Merino sheep enterprise.

The property also has a grand Federation-style five-bedroom double-brick homestead with original features such as high ceilings, stained glass windows, intricate cornices and ceilings.

Elders Barham selling agent Peter Robertson handled the sale and said demand for northern Victorian farmland had rebounded after floods hit the region last spring.

“There was a lot of uncertainty in the Mallee in terms of how the harvest was going to be affected by the floodwaters,” Mr Robertson said.

“Then in the new year we have had much more inquiry as harvest was much better than had been expected in the spring.”