The Grass, Konleigh Flats and Clive’s: SA farms sold for almost $20m

Another three tightly held farms in southeast SA have been sold, with each one fetching about $20,000 a hectare or more.

Three southeast South Australian families have sold their respective farms in December auctions, with significant interest from neighbouring farmers the defining factor.

All within a 100km range, family farms known as The Grass, Konleigh Flats and Clive’s have been sold in separate deals for a combined value of $18.7 million.

The most lucrative of the auction results saw a top bid of $7 million for the 276.8ha The Grass farm at 1324 Old Kalangadoo-Penola Rd, Monbulla.

A local farming family acquired the property from the Rennie family through the December 16 auction.

The Rennie family purchased land in the district five years ago, with the sale of The Grass ending their stint in the region.

The Grass.

A day prior and 70km northwest from The Grass, the Handbury family purchased the 230ha Clive’s block, at Lucindale, from the McWaters family for $5 million through auction.

It came five weeks after the Handburys smashed records when they paid $22 million ($34,920 a hectare) for the adjoining 630ha grazing block, Binbrook, purchasing it from Tom and Kerry McWaters.

The brother of Tom McWaters was selling the property Clive’s block for the first time in 39 years, with interest from neighbouring farmers pushing bids higher.

Finally, the 351ha Konleigh Flats farm at Greenways, just 20km southwest of Clive’s, was sold through auction for $6.7 million.

The grazing parcel was sold to a neighbouring farming family by the Higgins family.

Konleigh Flats.

The three sales come as about $100 million worth of southeast South Australian farmland has changed hands this spring and summer including major deals at Kingston SE and Bordertown, which saw grazing farms change hands for more than $30 million and $15 million respectively.

TDC property and livestock selling agents Tom Pearce and Mark De Garis handled the sales of the three farms, with Mr Pearce describing the results as above or about expectations.

“The listing of these farms came this spring because of the timing of family succession,” Mr Pearce said.

“It hasn’t been because the vendors want to cash in, it is more due to their personal circumstances.

“A couple of the farms have been brought forward, but they would’ve been on the market in six months.

“The results have been very much in the range we were quoting and within expectations of sales. I think it shows there is strong confidence in the area because of the reliability of how hard it is to purchase.”