Bowen Park in the Macquarie Valley was passed in at $29M and has since sold privately. Photo: Meares & Associates
A PRIME cotton and cereal cropping and grazing operation in central New South Wales has sold to a local farming family for between $30 million and $35M.
The 3250ha Bowen Park is situated on the Macquarie River near Gin Gin, 20km from Trangie and 37km from Warren in the state’s central west.
The property was passed in at auction for $29M and sold shortly afterwards to an undisclosed buyer for an undisclosed price, but during the marketing campaign Bowen Park was offered with a $30M-$35M price guide.
The sale, which included land, fixed improvements and more than 4000ML of water entitlements, ends 72 years of Miller family ownership.
Around 95 percent of Bowen Park is arable and comprises 457ha of well laid-out flood irrigation and 972ha of dryland cropping country.
The rich alluvial and mostly black self-mulching soils are growing irrigated cotton and winter crops including wheat, canola and oats.
In March, the vendors reported yields for irrigated cotton were around 16 bales/ha, with dryland yields of 5-6 tonnes/ha for wheat and 3t/ha for canola.
Bowen Park’s 1821ha balance is conservatively rated to carry up to 330 breeding cows or 6000 sheep.
Meares & Associates principal Chris Meares said 80pc, or 1505ha, of the grazing country could be farmed.
“Developed into one of the prime cash-cropping properties in the Macquarie Valley, Bowen Park is a versatile, highly productive and well managed asset offering scale,” Mr Meares said.
As well as 3888ML of general-security Macquarie River entitlements, there is 296ML of supplementary water, 86ML of floodplain harvesting entitlements, and 703ML of on-farm water storage, supported by eight equipped bores and 14 dams.
Infrastructure includes three homes, steel cattle yards, a five-stand shearing shed, numerous sheds, and 470t of grain storage.
Mallanganee
A productive cropping platform on the north-west slopes of NSW has achieved $13,200 an arable hectare at auction.
The 1323ha Mallanganee, 25km east of Gurley and 35km south-east of Moree, was being sold to finalise the estate of Douglas Chick.
A local farming entity paid $15M to secure the picturesque property offering views of Grattai Mountain, which forms part of the Nandewar Range in the Mount Kaputar National Park.
Moree Real Estate agent Paul Kelly was unable to disclose the buyer, but said Mallanganee attracted good interest and multiple inspections, with four registered bidders on auction day.
Mallanganee has sold at auction to finalise the estate of Douglas Chick. Photo: Moree Real Estate
Situated in a 635mm average annual rainfall region, Mallanganee offers level to gently undulating brigalow and belah country with alluvial brown clay to black loam soils.
Around 1065ha is arable, with 559ha fallow and ready for a 2024 winter crop.
Infrastructure includes an architecturally designed three-bedroom home, a worker’s cottage, two sheds, steel cattle yards, a bore and two dams.
Bareena
A neighbour has paid around $7 million for a versatile farm fronting the Murrumbidgee River in southern NSW.
Conservatively farmed for more than 70 years, the 1002ha Bareena was offered to the market by Darryl and Jenny Grigg for the first time since the early 1950s.
Situated in the Riverina’s Euroley district, 25km south of Leeton and 40km west of Narrandera, Bareena is bordered by Sturt Highway frontage, the Murrumbidgee River and the Coleambally irrigation canal.
Nutrien Harcourts agent Mick Martin and Breed & Hutchinson agent Tim Hutchinson were unable to disclose the purchaser or the price paid, but during the marketing campaign, Bareena was offered with a $7042/ha price guide.
Offering production and scale for multiple agricultural pursuits including cropping, grazing and irrigation, Bareena has around 730ha of cultivation country, as well as 200ha lasered for flood irrigation with recycling.
Historically, the property has grown cereals and operated a prime-lamb enterprise, with the vendors growing summer crops including sorghum, and running cattle.
Water is sourced from 3km of Murrumbidgee River frontage, double frontage to the Bareena Creek, the Coleambally canal for irrigation, a recycling dam, and a bore.
Improvements include a three-bedroom home, machinery and hay sheds, a shearing shed, sheep and cattle yards, and 240t of silo capacity.
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