Harvesting winter crop on Coomonga. Photo: LAWD

IN QUEENSLAND, Altora Ag has withdrawn its Kinbeachie Aggregation from the market but listed the nearby Coomonga, Eumerella at Thallon has sold locally, and Amatunga at Clermont is for sale after being passed in.

Coomonga

Altora Ag, owned by one of PSP Investments as one of Canada’s largest pension investment funds, has withdrawn from sale its institutional-scale dryland cropping aggregation in the renowned Border Rivers region of Queensland and instead listed one of its four other properties.

In November last year, the company offered to market the 11,228ha Kinbeachie located near Toobeah, with hopes of raising more than $65 million.

However, an expressions-of-interest process failed to sell the four properties which consisted of the adjoining 3119ha Kinbeachie, 2873ha Birribindibil, and 3200ha Moreville.

The nearby and most recently added 2035ha Coomonga has now been brought to market.

Coomonga is a dryland cropping opportunity located 20km from Bungunya and 55km from Goondiwindi.

It is close to grain receival sites at North Talwood, Bungunya, Toobeah, Goondiwindi and Moree, as well as cotton gins at Goondiwindi, Mungindi, Moree, St George and Dirranbandi.

Boasting direct frontage to the Macintyre River, 1608ha or 79 percent is arable and benefits from fertile soil types, mostly self-mulching black and grey cracking clays, with high soil moisture retention capabilities.

Coomunga grows winter and summer crops, including wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas, faba beans and sorghum, in a comprehensive crop-rotation system.

On average, the property receives 523mm of rain, supported by a combination of natural and engineered drainage.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cottage and cattle yards.

Coomonga is being sold via EOI closing June 24.

LAWD agents Danny Thomas, Simon Cudmore and Jaclyn Hope are handling the sale.

Eumerella

One of the last remaining dryland farming development opportunities in the Border Rivers Catchment of southern Queensland has sold at auction to a neighbour for $23M, or $6821/ha.

The 3372ha Eumerella is south-west of the Moonie River, adjacent to the Thallon township, 39km North of Mungindi and 64km east of Dirranbandi.

The strong sale ends more than 100 years of ownership by the Baker family.

Nutrien Harcourts agent Darryl Langton was unable to disclose the buyer saying it was a local grazing and farming family, but sources have told Grain Central the adjoining Willis family was the successful purchaser.

Thallon property Eumerella offers scope to return to cultivation. Photo: Nutrien Harcourts

Mr Langton said everyone who inspected the property was attracted by its ability to be developed into cultivation.

Currently pastured and supporting a Merino sheep and woolgrowing operation, Eumerella sits on prized cropping country with three neighbours developing their holdings to broad-scale dryland cultivation.

The property is growing abundant Mitchell, bluegrass, soft native grasses and prolific herbages in season.

Around 2609ha, ranging from flat, dark alluvial Moonie River floodplain to soft belah, coolibah, whitewood and leopardwood soils, are suited to the full range of winter and summer cropping rotations.

The property is watered by piped and pressurised bore water from the Myall Plains Water Co-op.

Infrastructure includes a shearing shed and two sheep yards.

Amatunga

A Central Highlands backgrounding and finishing depot with cultivation potential has been passed in at auction for $13.5M.

Offered by Mick Duckett and Emma Robinson after 13 years of ownership, the 3740ha Amatunga is located 30km east of Clermont and 49km from Capella, with four export abattoirs, saleyards, feedlots and grain handling facilities within a 400km radius.

Clermont property Amatunga. Photo:

RBV Rural agent Matt Beard is now negotiating with interested parties, and said the versatile property attracted good interest from producers across Central and North Queensland.

“Prior to 2012, Amatunga was run as a mixed farming operation growing wheat, chickpeas and sorghum on a mix of heavy self-mulching black soils; the property could very easily be taken back to that.”

The vendors have developed around 240ha to leucaena planted into old cultivation, with an opportunity to convert more than 800ha of legumes and improved pastures back to cultivation.

Currently, the vendors are running 1500 adult equivalents on well-grassed coolabah and brigalow country that runs down to Ti Tree waterways and up to fertile volcanic ridges.

Amatunga is watered by nine bores that feed into a water reticulation system that disperses to 17 tanks and 30 troughs across the property, along with the Huntly Creek.

Infrastructure includes three-bedroom home, a two-bedroom cottage, two sheds and steel cattle yards.

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