QUALITY Queensland mixed-farming country is on the market with the listing of the Arcturus Downs Portfolio in the Central Highlands, and Jindabyne, west of Goondiwindi.

Arcturus Downs Portfolio

A multifaceted, institutional scale irrigated and broadacre dryland cropping, and beef cattle breeding and backgrounding opportunity has been listed for sale in Queensland’s highly regarded Central Highlands region.

The 34,944ha Arcturus Downs Portfolio operates as two hubs and is located close to both Springsure and Emerald.

The portfolio currently produces irrigated cotton, sorghum and mungbeans, and dryland wheat, barley, chickpeas, sorghum, cotton and oats, as well as breeding and backgrounding cattle.

The 15,601ha Arcturus Downs Aggregation is 32km from Springsure and 61km from Emerald, and comprises three contiguous properties: 7940ha Arcturus; 3848ha Kronje, and 3813ha Barton.

The non-contiguous 19,343ha Pindari is 34km from Springsure and 99km from Emerald.

Arcturus Downs Aggregation

The aggregation benefits from productive brigalow and deep alluvial scrub soils adjacent to the Comet River and Springsure Creek.

It is currently producing 1000ha of irrigated cotton, sorghum and mungbeans, and 6852ha of dryland wheat, barley, chickpeas, sorghum, cotton and oats.

There are 2593ha of arable grazing land and 5156ha is used to breed and background cattle.

It is watered by 10 equipped groundwater bores, 14 dams and seasonal waterholes and supported by 14,000ML of on-farm water storage.

Substantial water allocations include 3363ML unsupplemented from the Comet River, underpinned by additional overland flow water harvesting capabilities following high rainfall/river flow events.

An integrated grain-storage complex has a combined capacity of 7850 tonnes, including a drive-over receival hopper, grain drier, out-loading facilities and a full-length 80t capacity weighbridge.

Infrastructure includes two main homes, six cottages, staff quarters, numerous sheds, three cattle yards and silage pits with 3000t of capacity.

Pindari

The 19,343ha Pindari is a productive breeding opportunity offering 6450ha of open grazing, 4600ha of timbered grazing and 8293ha of plateau rangeland grazing which receives significant reliable rainfall.

Typically, Pindari carries 1500 cows or 2250 adult equivalents, with all weaners sent to the Arcturus Downs Aggregation.

Replacement heifers are grown out and joined to have their first calf at the Arcturus Downs Aggregation, with second-calf PTIC heifers bought back to Pindari and joined with the mature herd.

Over the past seven years, the water infrastructure has been upgraded and expanded to coincide with a change in grazing management from traditional methods to a rotational grazing system.

Securely watered by eight equipped bores, 54 dams and numerous permanent and seasonal waterholes, Pindari also benefits from an irrigation bore with an annual allocation of 78ML which can be used to irrigate 20ha.

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

The Arcturus Downs Portfolio is being offered for sale by expressions of interest closing October 10.

LAWD agents Simon Cudmore and Grant Veivers are handling the sale.

Jindabyne

A quality mixed farming operation in southern Queensland has been listed for sale by the McMaster family after 64 years of ownership.

The 3278ha Jindabyne is located near North Bungunya and 88km west of Goondiwindi, close to grain receival depots at Bungunya, Toobeah, Talwood and Goondiwindi, as well as local feedlots.

Nutrien Harcourts agent Andrew Jakins said the property offers buyers a good combination of farming, grazing and finishing country that has experienced a very good season.

“Interest is coming from local and out of area producers seeking expansion or a stand alone holding.”

While Mr Jakins was unable to disclose a price, country in the region has been making more than $2000/ac over the past 12 months.

More than 2800ha has been cleared and previously farmed.

Currently, there is 1525ha of cultivation planted to a winter cash crop.

The mostly fertile, self-mulching chocolate soils are suited to growing wheat, barley, oats, chickpeas, millet and sorghum.

The country is slightly undulating with some areas of cultivation being contoured with waterways.

Jindabyne is also home to the ELKAY2 Droughtmaster Stud but in the past, it also ran sheep.

Water is supplied by 13 dams, the Kywanna bore scheme and the Waverly, Lapgate and Boogarah Creeks that traverse the property.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, a four-bedroom workman’s cottage, steel cattle yards, numerous sheds, a shearing shed, sheep yards and grain silos with 1690 tonnes of capacity.

Feed yards, under construction, are designed to handle approximately 600SCU in four pens and the southern boundary of the property is exclusion fenced.

 

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