Merri Meric is located 10km east of Henty and is expected to fetch more $26.5M. Photo: Elders

AMONG the New South Wales properties on the market this spring are First Australian Farmland’s Merri Meric, Grand Junction at Wentworth, Graman’s Erins View, and the Allengrove Aggregation.

Merri Meric Aggregation

More than $26.5 million is anticipated for a southern Riverina mixed farming enterprise being offloaded by Swedish pension fund Första AP-fonden, also known as First Australian Farmland.

The 1671ha Merri Meric Aggregation is located 10km east of Henty, 71km south-west Wagga Wagga and 72km north Albury-Wodonga.

It comprises four holdings: the adjoining 422ha Pinegrove, 232ha The Knoll and 386ha Merri Meric, and the nearby 629ha Crunagh.

Around 1508ha of the Merri Meric Aggregation is arable and grows cereal and oilseed crops on productive red loam soils.

It also runs a prime lamb, wool and beef enterprise.

The four holdings are watered by dams, a town water connection (Merri Meric) and frontage to Majors and Osbornes Creeks, supported by 581mm of annual average rainfall.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home on Pinegrove, a three-bedroom home and a workers’ cottage on Merri Meric, numerous sheds, two shearing sheds, two sheep yards, five cattle yards, and 2470 tonnes of grain storage.

The Merri Meric Aggregation is being offered for sale either as a whole or four non-contingent assets via expressions of interest closing November 13.

Elders agents Nick Myer, David Gittoes and Henry Mackinnon are handling the sale.

In 2024, the European-owned and Melbourne-managed First Australian Farmland started downsizing its agricultural holdings to capitalise on the uplift in property prices.

It is understood the pension fund is now looking to reinvest the money into a mango farm in northern Australia, as well as buying cropping country elsewhere.

In September, the fund listed adjoining cropping and grazing properties, 1564ha Goodhope and 979ha Tagliaferri near Green Range in Western Australia’s Great Southern region with hopes of raising $15.5M.

The properties formed part of the WALT Portfolio which was offered to the market in May 2024.

Earlier this year, the 1017ha Gidget and 1035ha Range Montana near South Stirling and the 999ha Wimbush near Green Range transacted for more than $26M.

First Australian Farmland has also listed three northern Victorian dairy farms for around $10M – the 248ha Timmering, the 185ha Quality Ridge and the 142ha Henderson Road located near Girgarre in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley.

Elders agent Oliver Boyd confirmed the Henderson Road block had sold but was unable to disclose the buyer or the price.

Grand Junction

There has been widespread interest in a cropping, grazing and irrigation development opportunity in the far south-west of NSW which is expected to sell for $22.5M-$25M.

The 6522ha Grand Junction is situated in the Sunraysia district, 10km north-west of Wentworth, and is being sold by Grand Junction Pty Ltd after 15 years of ownership.

Across the holding, there are 142ha of irrigation, 1599ha of irrigation development, 2266ha of dryland cropping and 6522ha of livestock grazing, as well as opportunistic goat harvesting.

A 32km direct frontage to the Darling River, a 19.5km one to the the Great Darling Anabranch, as well as Murray River frontage, and access to the Broken Hill pipeline provide secure water for irrigated cropping, supported by 286mm of average annual rainfall.

Smith Agri International agent George Souliotis has been surprised by the level of widespread inquiry.

“Interest is coming from local and interstate producers, as well as institutional investors seeking a greenfield site,” Mr Souliotis said.

Offered with irrigation development and water-access approvals, Grand Junction has 3950ha suitable for intensive irrigated horticulture, including citrus, nuts, table and wine grapes.

Grand Junction is being offered for sale on a walk-in walk-out basis via expressions of interest closing December 3.

Erins View

A dryland mixed farm on the north-west slopes of NSW is being offered for sale by the Boyd family after six years of ownership.

Spanning six adjoining holdings, the 3150ha Erins View is located near Graman, 45km north-west of Inverell, and is anticipated to sell for around $20M.

The dryland cropping area, which covers around 1141ha, consists of mostly deep black self-mulching clays with some lighter yellow earths.

The 2009ha balance runs 22,000 dry sheep equivalents.

Erins View covers 3150ha in the Graman district north-west of Inverell. Photo: LAWD

Situated in a 750mm annual average rainfall region, the aggregation is watered by seven equipped bores, 46 dams, frontages to Red Bank Creek and the Macintyre River and 60.5ML of water entitlements.

Infrastructure includes three homes, two cottages, four shearing sheds, four sheep
yards, three cattle yards and 1900-tonnes of silo grain storage.

Erins View is offered for sale by expressions of interest closing November 20.

LAWD agents Simon Cudmore, George Barton and George Berry are handling the
sale.

Allengrove Aggregation

The Deniliquin-based Dye family’s dryland cropping opportunity in the Central West of NSW has returned to the market with Nutrien Harcourts agent Ainslee Toole.

The 2931ha Allengrove Aggregation, 12km from Parkes and 20km from Forbes, was listed for sale earlier this year and is now being offered with a revised price guide.

Comprising three non-contiguous properties located within a 10km radius, they can be purchased as a whole or separately:

• 1153ha Allengrove for $8895/ha;
• 1202ha Oaklands for $7415ha; and,
• 576ha Heatherleigh for $8900/ha.

Allengrove was bought by the Dyes in 2012 and expanded with the purchase of Oaklands and Heatherleigh.

Around 2656ha, or 91 percent, is arable and grows wheat, canola, chickpeas, barley and faba beans on open and level land featuring red-brown earths and alluviums that come with an extensive liming history.

This year, around 2670ha has been sown to canola, wheat and barley, which can purchased by the successful buyer.

Canola has yielded up to 3.5t/ha and averaged 2t/ha, while wheat has yielded up to 5.5t/ha, and averaged 4t/ha.

Situated in a 550mm annual average rainfall area, water is provided by bores and a town water scheme.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home on Allengrove, and additional accommodation on Heatherleigh, grain silos with 1000t of capacity, and numerous sheds.

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