Three Victorian farms hit the market for $40m combined

Two family farms in the North East and another in central Victoria have been listed for sale in separate offerings. See the details.

The Alexander family are selling their Bungeet West farm.

A central Victorian farm and two others in the tightly held North East region have hit the market where they could be worth more than $40 million combined.

BUNGEET WEST
YACAMUNDA
Property: mixed farming
Size: 729.43ha
Sale: tender closing December 6 at noon
Price: $23,474 to $25,945 a hectare
Agent: Nutrien Harcourts Benalla
Contact: Andrew Ashton, 0419 000 850 and Luke Marple, 0475 270 236

The Bungeet West property comprises five separate lots with 526ha, or more than 70 per cent, is considered fertile high yielding Bungeet soils.

At Bungeet West, about 35km west of Wangaratta the Alexander family are selling their tightly held 729-hectare Yacamunda farm, following about 100 years of farming through three generations.

Operating as Yacumunda Pastoral, Peter and Raelene Alexander have continued on the farming legacy of Peter’s father and grandfather before him, cultivating a first-class winter cropping and sheep enterprise.

Mr Alexander said it was his grandfather who bought the first part of what is now Yacamunda in 1923, running the property alongside his brothers.

He said he has been working on the farm for the last 50 years, returning to the property as a teenager to help after the earlier passing of his father.

“We were mainly running stock at the start, but over the last 30 years especially we started doing more cropping,” Mr Alexander said.

“Eventually over time we have moved slowly from mostly sheep to mostly cropping.

“The key here has been the good soils which are some of the best croppings soils in the area.

“The is also a rising hill with a rocky outcrop which has been handy for the grazing side of things on those cold, wet winter days.”

In recent seasons much of the cropping aspects of Yacamunda has been leased, with winter cropping yields reaching about six tonnes a hectare for wheat and three tonnes a hectare for canola. Beans have been grown on heavier soil types.

The Alexander family have also carried more than 1200 crossbreed ewes on the balance of the property.

The Koop family are selling the 510-hectare Nioka property at Glenrowan West.

GLENROWAN WEST
NIOKA
Property: mixed farming
Size: 510ha
Sale: private treaty
Price: $19,767 a hectare ($10.081 million)
Agent: LAWD Agribusiness
Contact: Patrick Kerr, 0451 142 791 and Elizabeth Doyle, 0400 102 439

Meanwhile about 30km south of Bungeet West at Glenrowan West, the Koop family are selling their the 510ha Nioka property, purchased after giving up their corporate life in Sydney about 15 years ago.

Jonathan Koop, originally from a Wimmera farm near Nhill, was working as a CFO, but he and wife Rosie, who is from Traralgon in the Latrobe Valley, decided to flip the script, relocating to Nioka with their four kids to give them a taste of country living.

Mr Koop said his brother was still farming in the Wimmera and so he leant on him and other local producers to help improve the Nioka property from the ground up.

“The farm was pretty rundown when we bought it after years of drought. It needed a fair bit of work to the house, yards and fencing,” he said.

“The key for us has been the soil. Good soil grows good pastures which grows good animals.

“Initially we cropped across most of the property, growing wheat and canola which helped improve the soils.

A key feature at Nioka is the circa-1910 homestead consisting of five-bedrooms, two-bathrooms.

“There was also cattle here when we started, so the farm is really suited to any combination of the three.

“The farm is in a beautiful location with the flats rising up into hills and views to Mt Buffalo out the back of the property.

“For a bit of history, across the back fence is the site of Ned Kelly’s family homestead.”

In recent seasons the Koop family have run a 3250-flock of merino and crossbred ewes in a self-replacing and trade or heavy lamb feedlot production system, paired with grazing and grain crops (canola, wheat and barley).

Key farming infrastructure includes a three-stand shearing shed, undercover sheep yards, a 3500-head feedlot with shelters and feeders, machinery sheds, hay sheds, cattle yards and 120 tonnes of silo storage.

A key feature at Nioka is the circa-1910 homestead consisting of five-bedrooms, two-bathrooms, office, dining and living areas and a modern kitchen with European appliances, set within established gardens as well as a three-bedroom workers cottage.

Southern Pastoral are selling the 529-hectare Balboora farm at Pastoria.

PASTORIA
BALBOORA
Property: livestock
Size: 529ha
Sale: private treaty
Price: $24,710 a hectare
Agent: LAWD Agribusiness
Contact: Patrick Kerr, 0451 142 791 and Elizabeth Doyle, 0400 102 439

Finally, Southern Pastoral’s 529-hectare Balboora farm, located 13km from Kyneton at Pastoria, has also been listed for sale.

Offers worth $24,710 a hectare, or more than $13 million in total, are expected for the grazing property which has grazed 2600 crossbred ewes in a self-replacing and trade and store lamb production system.

There are also two architecturally designed four-bedroom, two-bathroom dwellings, set within established gardens at Balboora.