Cherylton Farms comes with extensive infrastructure and improvements. Photo: LAWD

PROPERTY builder and investor, Julian Walter’s mixed cropping and livestock property, Cherylton Farms, has come on the market, offering an impressive 8554-hectare parcel in Western Australia’s southern region.

It is anticipated that the property will make circa $90 million and appeal to both local and international buyers.

Located 17-kilometres from Frankland River and 23km from Kojonup, Cherylton Farms consists of two non-contiguous landholdings with extensive land class development and capital improvement made over the past 14 years of ownership.

The property operations include diversified cropping and livestock grazing, focused on the production of high-yielding crops including barley, oats, wheat and canola, as well as Merino and composite flocks (32,000) and a 170-head Angus herd.

Cropping has been optimised through the development of more than 200 paddocks.

The livestock enterprises are value-added by 1000ha of grazing land sown to improved pasture species on a five-year rotation, as well as two sheep feedlots with a 6000 head combined capacity and a 100-head cattle feedlot facility.

Mr Walter has owned Cherylton Farms as part of a broader portfolio of businesses and agricultural assets.

“We have made a number of strategic investments in the agriculture sector over the past few decades and, in recent years, have had many approaches from parties interested in securing some of our farmland assets due to their scale and high performance,” Mr Walter said.

“Over the past 14 years, we’ve invested significantly in developing Cherylton Farms to both ensure its ecological health and to truly maximise its efficiency and productivity.”

LAWD directors Simon Wilkinson and Erica Semmens are handling the listing on behalf of Mr Walter.

Mr Wilkinson said Cherylton Farms was a truly blue-chip asset in one of the most productive agricultural zones of WA.

“Approximately 7350ha of the property is considered effective, and the owners and managers of Cherylton Farms have optimised the profitability of each of these to make the holding consistently recognised as one of the highest benchmarked properties in this high rainfall zone,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“This really is a once-in-a-generation opportunity in an extremely sought-after and reliable area that also delivers rare scale and operational efficiency achieved through strategic development and precision management.

“The existing management team is in place and would like to continue this high level of performance.”

Quality soils

Soil types vary across Cherylton Farms to include medium to heavy duplex, red granite loams and forest loamy gravels with sandy loams over clay in lower lying areas.

Topography is undulating with slight to medium inclined hillslopes running down to river flats, with the highest point above average mean sea level of 345 metres.

Soil health and amelioration has been an ongoing focus of the existing management team.

Nearby Kojonup provides excellent amenities and services, including retail, financial, medical, and primary and secondary education, as well as a variety of agricultural services, only 258km from Perth.

“Cherylton Farms is benefited by a Mediterranean climate, coupled with a 551 millimetre yearly average rainfall for the region, reinforcing it as an ideal location for low-risk cropping and livestock grazing purposes, amongst other agricultural pursuits,” Mr Wilkinson said.

Cherylton Farms has a history of producing a variety of cereal and oilseed crops. Photo: LAWD

Extensive infrastructure

Significant water infrastructure has been developed across the property, including three strategically located water storages of 25 megalitres each and water tank storage providing an additional 1.5ML capacity.

Other structural improvements include four shearing sheds – one being 17 stands – a comprehensive network of 10 sheep yards and one set of cattle yards, 30 silos, significant shedding including machinery, workshop, chemical and general-purpose shedding and a 2000-tonne grain/fertiliser shed, while more than 300km of new fencing has been installed.

Expressions of Interest close at 12pm (AWST), Thursday 1 December.

Source: LAWD