Scott family sell Tocumwal farm, Aratula, after five generations

After being held by one family for five generations, a renowned 4850ha aggregation near Tocumwal has been snapped up.

The blue ribbon NSW Riverina farming aggregation Aratula has been sold for the first time in five generations.

An undisclosed corporate buyer has acquired the 4850ha mixed farming aggregation, which comprises four adjoining farms 25km west of Tocumwal, as a whole for an undisclosed sum.

The Scott family listed the property in October last year for sale, where it was expected to field offers in excess of $40 million.

The identity of the buyer and the value of the transaction price remain undisclosed due to confidentiality arrangements.

Contracts for the property have been exchanged, with settlement due in the coming months.

Nutrien Harcourts Deniliquin selling agents James Sides and Jake Freshwater handled the sale and made no comment.

Having curated the farmland for more than a century, the Scott family had gained a reputation throughout the Riverina and beyond for its prime beef and winter crop production at Aratula.

The 4850ha Aratula aggregation near Tocumwal had been owned by the Scott family for five generations.

“Their vision for the future of agriculture has seen Aratula under the Scott family management become one of the most productive properties in the region,” Mr Sides said in October last year.

Aratula, located at Lower River Rd, comprises four properties: Oomabah (2208ha), Aratula (1328ha), Main Camp (686ha) and Wahroonga Nth (629ha).

In recent seasons there have been about 2035ha of planted winter crops including wheat (1040ha), canola (680ha), barley (215ha) and peas (100ha).

An undisclosed corporate buyer is understood to be the buyer of Aratula.

The Scott family has also allocated some of the remaining farmland to pasture (1610ha), grazing (500ha) lucerne (305ha) and oats (120ha), which form the difference across the total 4100ha of arable farming land.

Alongside the winter crops about 300 cows plus their followers and 1200 ewes and lambs have been run on the property over the past four years.

A five-bedroom, 100-year-old homestead, which was renovated in 1980, also stands on the Aratula block.

The confirmation of the notable sale comes after a Riverina cotton grower purchased the 2370ha Marong Station, near Deniliquin, in a deal worth at least $14-$15 million.