Vendor and leading Jimbour Plain farmer St John Kent on Coondarra prior to sale. Photo: Eastern Rural

PREMIUM farming country has changed hands with the part sale of two aggregations, Caringbah in central New South Wales and Coondarra on Queensland’s Western Downs, where corporate-owned Cavanba and Cumbrae Park have come to market.

Caringbah Farms Aggregation, NSW

Local buyers have secured almost half of Altora Ag’s Caringbah Farms Aggregation in the Central West region of NSW.

The institutional-grade dryland cropping portfolio covers 4232ha across seven properties at Caragabal, Quandialla, Bribbaree and Grenfell.

Around 91 percent, or 3860ha, is arable, underpinned by fertile red loams and heavier clay soils in a 550mm annual rainfall region.

The corporate farmer has been cropping the aggregation on a three-year barley, canola and wheat rotation.

Caringbah Farms was offered to the market in April following a disciplined portfolio review, with the listing supporting Altora Ag’s longer-term business and growth objectives.

In June, Australian Food & Fibre announced it would absorb Altora Ag, creating a major Australian dryland cropping and irrigated cotton production and processing business.

Around 1883ha of the Caringbah Farms Aggregation has been sold to three separate buyers, with the remaining 2349ha still available.

Properties sold out of the aggregation are:

Buckaroo: Gently undulating red loam country is supported by an efficient paddock layout with long, straight runs on this 723ha near Grenfell, which is is 92pc arable;

Part Eurabba: Located near Bribbaree, the 710ha property is 97 percent arable, and its high-performing cropping platform is characterised by productive heavy brown-grey soils, with infrastructure including water storage.

Tatiara: Suited to being a central operational base or a well-equipped standalone enterprise, it includes a three-bedroom residence, 600t fertiliser shed, 600t grain silo, shearing shed, sheep yards and workshop. Located east of Caragabal, the 450ha property is 77pc arable and features fertile heavy red clay loam soils.

Still available are:

Woodlands: The largest holding in the aggregation, the 786ha Woodlands is west of Grenfell, and serves as an operational hub. Neighbouring Buckaroo, it comprises gently undulating red loam country, and is 89pc arable.  Infrastructure includes multiple dwellings, numerous sheds and water assets;

Beena: East of Caragabal, the 713ha Beena has highway and creek frontage. Around 92pc of its open red-grey farming country is arable, and infrastructure includes a shed and water storage;

Homelands: The 595ha of open, developed farming country is mostly flat and underpinned by red loams, located near Quandialla and 98pc arable;

Mayfair: The compact and well-configured 254ha property west of Grenfell has Caragabal Creek frontage and is 87pc arable; it features open, flat red loams;

The combined sale will reduce Caringbah Farms’ holding by 41pc from its previous total of 10,292ha.

Inglis Rural Property agent Sam Triggs is handling the sale.

Coondarra Aggregation, Qld

Premium Jimbour Plain cropping country on Qld’s Western Downs has split four ways for a combined $19.7 million.

Offered to the market by the Kent family for the first time in nearly a century, the 988ha Coondarra Aggregation is located 35km north-west of Dalby.

It comprises four non-contiguous holdings: 601ha Coondarra; 84ha Owens; 163ha Yurara, and 139ha Yurara West.

Across the aggregation, 959ha is arable and boasts black self-mulching, cracking clay soils, with the dryland cultivation supporting a pulse and cereal crop rotation.

Underpinned by modern farming systems, the property has been managed with 3m controlled traffic and zero-till practices since 2001.

Jimbour Plain farming country is well known for high-yielding and performing cropping country, with black self-mulching cracking Waco clay soils with no sub-soil constraints and high moisture holding capacity.

In April, expressions of interest for the Coondarra Aggregation were sought by Eastern Rural agents Andrew Kirtley and Roger Lyne who were handling the sale, bare of crops.

They said the sale process generated strong interest, both locally and away, which resulted in four separate sales – three blocks were purchased by locals, and one sold to a producer from Winton.

They comprise:

Coondarra: Sold to a local landholder for $20,795/ha.  The 601ha property has 584 arable hectares and is watered by a dam and a bore. Infrastructure includes a renovated three-bedroom home, a one-bedroom cottage, numerous sheds and 1260t of grain storage across eight silos;

Owens: This 84ha block is almost all arable,and sold to a local for $19,784/ha;

Yuara: A 163ha holding with 2ha of grazing country and watered by a bore, Yuara achieved $19,295/ha and sold to a Winton buyer. Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, two sheds and 700t of grain storage across four silos.

Yuara West:  This 139ha has 121 arable hectares and 21ha of grazing country. Watered by the Cooranga Creek, it sold for $16,937/ha to a local landowner.

Cavanba and Cumbrae Park, Qld

Expressions of interest are being sought for a corporate-owned farming aggregation in southern Qld, combining irrigated and dryland cropping with income from 20 gas wells.

The 1488ha Cavanba and Cumbrae Park are located near Ducklo and close to Dalby’s grain depots, cotton gins and major cattle-selling centre.

Eastern Rural agents Roger Lyne and Andrew Kirtley are managing the EOI campaign, which closes September 6.

The agents said the aggregation is underpinned by quality arable soils and overland-flow irrigation, with established infrastructure and strong external income streams supporting its appeal as a large-scale irrigated farming operation.

The offering comprises two properties:

Cavanba

Cavanba spans 766ha and is located 23km south-west of Dalby and 106km north-west of Toowoomba.

The country is mostly brigalow, poplar box and box flats running along Long Swamp.

Land use includes 360ha of dryland farming, 149ha of irrigated farming and 147ha of grazing country, including 68ha of reclaimer rhodes grass hay.

Improvements include a five-bedroom home, numerous sheds, portable steel cattle yards and three grain silos with 280t of storage capacity.

Water is supplied by a bore, while external income is generated from 14 gas wells.

Cumbrae Park

Cumbrae Park covers 722ha and is located 24km south-west of Dalby and 107km north-west of Toowoomba.

About 60pc of the property is brigalow and poplar box country, while 30pc is brigalow country.

Previous melon-hole country has been levelled.

The property comprises 310ha of dryland farming and 315ha of irrigated farming.

Cumbrae Park is watered by an equipped bore and receives external income from six gas wells, with discussions underway regarding an additional gas well.

Improvements include a five-bedroom home, two sheds and four grain silos with combined storage capacity of 840t.