Ten of the hottest farms for sale in the spring property market
The spring property market has seen farms big and small listed for sale. These ten properties are some of the best. We reveal how much they’re expected to make, who owns them and how they will be sold.
THE spring property market has seen farms big and small listed for sale. This includes well-known farms but also hidden gems. These ten properties are some of the best. See their stories, asking prices, who owns them and how they will be sold.
MANSFIELD
MOAMBY
PROPERTY: lifestyle
SIZE: 33ha
SALE: expressions of interest close November 18
PRICE: about $2.795 million
AGENT: Ray White Mansfield
CONTACT: Amanda Nieuwenhuizen, 0427 193 137
MANSFIELD’s Susannah Scott Barber loves a project.
And while the house she and Tim Barber bought eight years ago was only built in 2005, they have found plenty of ways to improve their already stunning property – Moamby.
There are plenty of little hidden extras that Susannah said only became apparent when people visited.
That includes the position of the house on a rise which allows stunning views from the windows regardless of which side of the house you look out.
“We can see Mt Buller and Timbertop to the east, The Paps to the west and the Strathbogie Ranges to the north,” Susannah said.
Since arriving, the couple has built a pool and Susannah has indulged her love of gardening by planting more than 50 roses.
Yet it is hard to take away from the four-bedroom house which has played home to the couple and their four children.
“There are three living areas which pivot off the kitchen, as well as a large weatherproof sunroom which overlooks the solar-heated pool,” Susannah said.
A feature of the home is its high ceilings while a wide hallway shows off Tasmanian oak hardwood flooring.
Bi-fold doors are also a great addition, Susannah said, and had added to the pleasure of living in the house.
CUDGEWA
HEREFORD HILL
PROPERTY: grazing
SIZE: 307ha (including creek lease)
SALE: auction November 26
PRICE: more than $9350/ha
AGENT: Elders Real Estate
CONTACT: David Gittoes, 0409 362 722
IT IS no surprise that the Cudgewa district property Hereford Hill has been home to a beef enterprise.
What may surprise some is that two generations ago, Herefords were milked from the pastures.
Selling agent David Gittoes from Elders Real Estate said the property had originally been a dairy farm, where the Land family had milked a breed better known for its beef characteristics.
Hereford Hill is being sold to finalise the estate of the late Bruce Land and will end four generations association with the property.
It has been good to the family – initially running the dairy operation before its conversion to beef where it has supported a herd of 250 cows and calves plus replacements.
That was possible, Mr Gittoes said, due to the mix of country which included Cudgewa Creek flats.
“Some people say that the Cudgewa Creek flats rival the Murray River flats in terms of productivity and I’d have to agree with them,” Mr Gittoes said.
“What is unique about this property is that there is a balance of country, ranging from the flats to some gently undulating land to some really good grazing hills.
“The owners have done a terrific job at growing pastures and those hills are knee deep in clover at the moment with the pasture improvement program extending into the hill country.”
GISBORNE
BUNDALEER ESTATE
Property: lifestyle, grazing
Size: 23ha
Sale: expressions of interest close November 27
Price: $3,875,000 to $4,250,000
Agent: Keatings Real Estate
Contact: John Keating, 0419 880 444
BUILT in timeless bluestone, this gracious lady of the land has borne witness to the changing face of rural life from simpler pioneering days through to the whirl of the 21st Century.
Set in private English-style gardens, Bundaleer is located 3km from Gisborne’s town centre and 45 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD.
Held by the vendor for 40 years, the original owners were reputed to have been a French couple attached to the French Consulate who may have used the (then 2000ha) property as a country retreat around 1850.
Once known as The Grove, the property was renamed in 1923.
The imposing homestead of 63 squares, approached via a 250m driveway lined with Monterey pines, contains six bedrooms, two bathrooms, two kitchens, two formal rooms, three sunrooms, study and studio.
Period features include large timber doors, high ceilings, original cornices, ceiling roses and deep windows.
A separate two-storey weatherboard house provides four bedrooms, while also nearby are two more homes, currently tenanted.
Agent John Keating said permits had been issued to use the homestead as an art gallery, eating house and natural therapies centre.
TEAL POINT
75 MCGRATH ROAD
PROPERTY: dairy
SIZE: 160ha
SALE: tenders close November 23
PRICE: $1.15-$1.265 million
AGENT: Ray White Rochester
CONTACT: Ken Trewin, 0428 531 887
THE only thing that one northern Victorian dairy property needs is a couple of loads of dairy cows.
The 160ha property at Teal Point has been operated by Nathan Ferguson who has been milking cows up until last month.
At its peak, it was milking up to 300 cows and while the more normal number was about 220 cows, Mr Ferguson said it did this effortlessly.
“Our production was about 1.5 million litres in the peak with 130,000kg of milk solids,” Mr Ferguson said.
“If anyone wants to milk cows, then this is the best dirt in the district.”
In his tenure on the farm, Mr Ferguson has worked hard to laser level country to make it irrigate more efficiently, installed a 30-megalitre recycling dam so no water goes off the farm, and has also expanded the stock water system.
Then there are the less visible things that were done, that he said would not be immediately obvious.
“We have designed the farm to be a one-man show, spending $70,000 on automatic teat sprays,” Mr Ferguson said.
“It saved two hours in the dairy every day and it’s one of the things we’ve done which you may not immediately notice.”
TALLANDOON
BONNIE’S
PROPERTY: grazing
SIZE: 75ha
SALE: auction December 4
PRICE: more than $1.5 million
AGENT: Corcoran Parker
CONTACT: Mike Weller, 0410 663 041
THERE’S an abundance of feed on Tallandoon property Bonnie’s, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
While most of North East Victoria is having a cracker season, green grass is the norm for this property thanks to its rainfall of more than 1000m annually.
Selling agent Mike Weller from Corcoran Parker at Wodonga said visiting the property was like walking into a sea of green.
“The farm is all alluvial river flats, and it sits in the bend of the Mitta Mitta river,” Mr Weller said.
It had been used as a base for a Hereford stud and as such, ran 70 stud breeding cows, another 20 heifers and 20 bulls up to two years old as well as a handful of commercial cattle.
If a commercial operation were run, that carrying capacity would conservatively be about 90 cows and calves, Mr Weller said.
The land is described as flat to slightly undulating, with most of the property cleared.
The highly fertile alluvial river flats are what lends the farm to its heavy carrying capacity.
But the current owner has also invested in inputs to keep the grass growing, with “an excellent fertiliser and urea history and weed control program used on the pastures”, Mr Weller said, which comprise ryegrass and clovers. That has included three tonnes a hectare of urea to boost pasture growth leading into winter.
TOORA
Property: grazing
Size: 129ha
Sale: private
Price: $2.2 million
Agent: SEJ
Contact: Andrea Adams, 0429 822 801
FOR Wolfgang and Stella Tiontek housing three wind turbines on their Toora property in South Gippsland has been a wise move.
The couple, who purchased their 129ha grazing property on Silcocks Road in 1981, say the turbines have provided them with a consistent income which will benefit the new owner from the moment they walk in the door.
“We have had the turbines for 20 years now,” Wolfgang said.
“The beautiful views drew us to property initially because we can look out to the sea, islands and Wilsons Promontory.
“When we first bought the place we were running sheep and Hereford breeders but as my construction job became more demanding we sold the cattle and just focused on sheep”.
Wolfgang said as he was now 81-years-old the property was too much for him and Stella to look after.
Aside from the three turbines the Tiontek’s property also generates income from two telecommunication towers.
The property is on three titles and features three fenced paddocks, eight dams, a shearing shed, hay shed, machinery shed and central yards.
BIRREGURRA
MOOLERIC FARM
Property: mixed farming, horses, lifestyle
Size: 380ha
Sale: expressions of interest close December 3
Price: Lot A, $3.25 – 3.5 million; Lot B, $2.25 – 2.5 million; as a whole, $5.5 – 6 million
Conjunctional agents: Charles Stewart & Co./Jellis Craig
Contact: Michael Stewart, 0418 520 467, or Brian Wood, 0427 131 000/Andrew Macmillan, 0418 142 252
BUILT for a wealthy merchant and surrounded by stunning gardens, Mooleric, in western Victoria, is a feast for the eyes.
Located 12km north of Birregurra, the property is offered as a whole or in two adjoining lots, though the successful sale of either lot is contingent on the sale of the other.
Split into Mooleric Homestead (102ha) and Mooleric Farmland (278ha), the holding combines gently undulating country with fertile volcanic clay loams, plentiful water and extensive farm infrastructure.
Designed in 1871 for Scottish-born merchant and Victorian politician James Ford Strachan, the homestead remained unchanged until 1923 when a two-storey wing was added.
Maryjane Crabtree bought Mooleric in 1999.
“I was working full-time in Melbourne, so we had a manager here and would visit on weekends,” she said.
The stately bluestone house provides 10 bedrooms, five living rooms, five bathrooms, two kitchens, cellar and store rooms, while the 1.6ha gardens were designed by botanist William Guilfoyle in 1903 for then owner Mrs Isabella Ramsay, whose family held Mooleric for a century.
“Guilfoyle was curator of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens from 1873-1909 and this garden is supposed to be the most intact of his private commissions,” Maryjane said.
WALKERVILLE
MUNBILLA
Property: lifestyle
Size: 2.9ha
Sale: auction on November 20, 11am, at Level 17/40 City Rd, Southbank
Price: $6 million-plus
Agent: Ray White Rural Victoria/Ray White Inverloch
Contact: Jason Hellyer, 0403 043 571, or Fiona McMahon-Hughes, 0417 743 355
OPULENT living, jaw-dropping views and a private walkway to an unspoilt beach you can call your own – that’s the priceless package presented by the sale of “Munbilla” at Walkerville, deep in Victoria’s South Gippsland region.
Overlooking Cape Liptrap Coastal Park and pristine Morgan’s Beach, this clifftop eyrie provides 180-degree ocean views, immersion in nature, a craftsman-built retreat and resort-style deck with infinity pool and spa.
Hidden away 2km down a private road, the 88-square five-bedroom home features master, family and guest wing accommodation with multiple living and entertainment zones, including a Dolby surround-sound home cinema.
There’s also piped music and CBUS lighting, retractable curtain system, sauna, a wine cellar, eight-car garage and workshop and storage area.
Sandstone framing the garden came from an old warehouse in Darling Harbour, Sydney, as hand-chiselled blocks – some still marked with convicts’ initials – while that used inside was from Gosford.
Marble and Australian timbers have been incorporated into the internal design, with double-glazing used extensively throughout.
The wide deck looks over the 20m infinity pool towards the sea, the levels so finely calculated that the two seem to seamlessly join.
The professionally designed gardens include a reticulated irrigation system, sandstone courtyard with Balinese hut, stone pizza oven and barbecue area, jarrah sleepers from Western Australia, vegetable beds and introduced indigenous plants to complement the local vegetation.
Agent Jason Hellyer said his vendors had owned the property for 21 years, undertaking a highly detailed, 30-month re-imagining of the older standing home 10 years ago with the help of a trusted architect.
TABILK
RIVERVIEW
Property: mixed farming
Size: 114ha
Sale: expressions of interest close December 3
Price: around $3.5 million
Agent: Elders Real Estate, Geelong
Contact: Anthony Stevens, 0417 822 356
GREAT memories of the much-loved aunt who ran her Central Victorian property single-handedly for over half-a-century abound in the family life of the O’Neills.
Even today, following generations of family members still recall the fun they had as kids helping with the milking and fishing and swimming in the Goulburn River at the foot of the farm.
Offered for sale for the first time in 150 years, Riverview is located at Tabilk, 10km from Nagambie and 25km north of Seymour.
David Ryan, one of three family trustees administering the estate of his late aunt, Philomena, said the property first came into the family’s hands in 1870.
“John and Anne O’Neill bought one square mile of land bordered by the road to Mitchelton on one side and the road to Chateau Tahbilk on the other,” David said.
“They had eight children, one of whom, Michael, took over the farm before his brother, Charles, moved from Melbourne in 1956 to assist.
“Both men died in 1962 and Riverview – one half of the original O’Neill holding – passed to Charlie’s daughter, Philomena, who managed the property by herself until just a few years ago.”
RUTHERGLEN
GLENMOIR HOMESTEAD
Property: mixed farming
Size: 40ha
Sale: expressions of interest close December 7
Price: $1.4 – 1.5 million
Agent: Nutrien Harcourts
Contact: Billy Jones, 0438 454 950
IT’S 90 years old, but looking as fresh as a daisy.
Glenmoir Homestead, in Victoria’s far north, has that modern country feel, but still celebrates its quintessential period features.
Located at Browns Plains, 10km east of Rutherglen and 35km from Albury/Wodonga, the 40ha property is built around healthy soils, an abundant water supply and a productive cropping regimen.
Sue and Andrew Russell have lived at Glenmoir Homestead since 1997, after Sue’s aunt and uncle, Penny and Barry Baker, bought it in 1969.
“They owned and operated the property as part of a bigger family business which incorporated holdings in Browns Plains, Cornishtown and Lilliput,” Andrew said.
“We came in as a young couple and built on the improvements Barry and Penny had made.
“The front of the house, we believe, dates back to the 1930s, but the whole back end was completely renovated around 2010.
“We’ve mainly used the land for cropping, but also graze sheep – generally a four-year rotation made up of cereals, canola, then a legume phase before putting stock on.
“This season, we’ve sown canola and Catapult wheat, a spring milling variety, and currently have a small number of rams and ewes on-site.
“Soils are uniformly duplex types of loam over clay, we’ve done extensive tree planting and the land has had a solid liming and fertiliser history.
“We’re very focused on our soils – retaining stubble where we can, adding to microbial health and testing regularly to check for nutrient needs.”
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