Billabong and Keshvale in North Qld listed earlier this year, and Keshvale has sold to Rio Tinto. Photo: Slaney & Co

A VARIETY of buyers are behind this week’s reported property sales, and include Rio Tinto as it invests in pongomia production in Queensland, and an out-of-area buyer purchasing a 2546ha farm in Victoria’s Mallee.

It was locals who won out in bids to secure Cosmos Farm in Western Australia’s Avon Valley, and Shenfield, part of a prized holding near Manilla in the New England region of New South Wales.

Cosmos Farm, WA

A local farmer seeking expansion has secured one of the biggest farms in Western Australia’s Avon Valley.

Spanning 1597ha, the Cosmos Farm comprising 13 contiguous lots is located near Jennapullin, 22km from Northam in the Wheatbelt region, and around an hour’s drive east of Perth.

Elders agent Fred Hill handled the sale of the blue-ribbon property but was unable to disclose the vendor, the buyer or the price paid.

However, part of the property that sits in the Goomalling Shire is understood to have achieved a record price.

Cosmos Farm is one of the largest holdings of its type in WA’s Avon Valley. Photo: Elders

When Cosmos Farms was listed for sale in August, Mr Hill said Cosmos Farm had been supporting efficient and modern farming practices under excellent, long term agronomic management.

Around 1295ha are arable with the productive red loam soils and expansive open paddocks growing wheat, canola and barley.

The property has four scheme water connections, four dams and a soak with an irrigation pipe running through the property to strategically located tanks and troughs.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, numerous sheds and grain silos.

Keshvale, Queensland

Rio Tinto has secured 3000ha in North Queensland to develop pongamia farms as part of a new biofuels pilot.

It has purchased part of Dingo Park and Oakey Park, owned by Burdekin farmer David Cox, as well as the adjoining 547ha Keshvale, offered for sale by Dingo Park’s Jeff and Jenny Reid.

Located near Woodstock, 60km south of Townsville, the project will explore the potential of pongamia seed oil as a feedstock for renewable diesel, a cleaner alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

The pilot aims to determine if pongamia seed oil can contribute to Rio Tinto’s renewable diesel needs while potentially contributing to the growth of a new biofuel sector in Australia.

Rio Tinto has partnered with Midway Limited to oversee the planting and management of the pongamia seed farms.

Midway will engage with nurseries, agricultural experts and research organisations throughout the pilot, and prioritise opportunities for traditional owners and local communities.

Troy Trevor from Queensland Rural negotiated the deal for Dingo Park and Oakey Park, but was unavailable for comment.

Slaney & Co agent Henry Slaney was responsible for selling Keshvale.

Keshvale

The 547ha irrigation farm with some grazing adjoins the 830ha Billabong, also offered for sale earlier this year by the Reids.

Both are located in a safe rainfall area, have a high catchment, an unregulated bore field and a free-of-charge water-harvesting licence.

Keshvale has coastal forest country that has been largely cleared and developed to improved pastures.

Well-drained, flat and fertile, it has a mix of black and alluvial creek frontage soils.

Previously, it grew sugarcane but today, 200ha of flood irrigation is planted to rhodes grass with a further 100ha of potential irrigation land which could be repurposed to grow other crops, including grains and pulses.

There are two dams underpinned by a 2200ML licence from the Majors Creek which bisects the property.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, cattle yards and numerous sheds.

Plant and modern hay-making machinery was included in the sale.

Billabong

Meantime, Mr Slaney is still negotiating with interested parties for the neighbouring Billabong.

The sale of the grazing property, with some irrigation, includes around 400 mixed cattle and basic plant and machinery.

Around 247ha of grazing country supports a breeding herd, but Mr Slaney believes pasture improvement could grow and finish cattle.

Based on its present low-key land use, Billabong has considerable production upside possibilities.

Around 110ha of flood irrigation previously grew rhodes grass and leucaena and there is significant potential to dryland farm the balance of country or increase the area to improved pastures.

Billabong is bisected by the Majors Creek anabranch and the Bullock Creek and it has numerous seasonal waterholes, three equipped bores and a 600ML irrigation licence.

Infrastructure includes a six-bedroom home, workers quarters, sheds and steel cattle yards.

Shenfield, NSW

A neighbour has paid around $4 million for a farming block carved off a highly productive mixed cropping, wool and prime lamb enterprise in the renowned New England region of New South Wales.

The 1549ha Braemar, 10km from Manilla and 33km north of Tamworth, is owned by rural communications specialist Robbie Sefton and husband Alistair Yencken who are downsizing.

The 320ha Shenfield, originally offered as part of the 1870ha holding, was listed for separate sale after the property failed to sell via an expressions-of-interest process, and was subsequently snapped by an adjoining landholder.

The remaining 1549ha Braemar is being offered for around $13.5M.

Braemar was purchased in 2007 and has been extensively developed to the point where the business is now performing in the top 2 percent of regional benchmarking enterprises.

A significant portion of Braemar has been sown to high-performance pastures such as lucerne, targeted at increasing carrying capacity.

As whole, Braemar is equally suited to beef cattle production and is estimated to carry 650 breeding cows or 15,000 winter dry sheep equivalents on 738ha of native pastures.

This year’s crop rotation comprises 602ha of lucerne, 110ha of barley, and 99ha of wheat.

Inglis Rural Property agents Sam Triggs and Jamie Inglis said Braemar is not only beautifully presented, but also a high-yielding agricultural enterprise.

“It represents genuine value for money, particularly when compared with similar sized properties in southern New South Wales and areas of Victoria.”

Braemar could also attract interest from poultry farmers because it is situated in a relatively new poultry zone where an increasing number of broiler sheds are being built to support Baiada’s processing plant in Tamworth.

Braemar has been drought-proofed through a sophisticated bore water system that supplies all 42 paddocks. In addition, there are 28 dams, six bores and dual frontage to the seasonal Greenhatch and Dead Horse Gully creeks.

The vendors have invested extensively in land development, prioritising the wellbeing of the soils and local flora and fauna through the retention of biodiversity corridors.

The principal residence is an historic renovated homestead dating from 1900.

There are a further four refurbished residences on the property, including a historic Cobb and Co coach house.

The fit-for-purpose infrastructure includes a five-stand shearing shed, undercover sheep yards, cattle yards, shedding, a 750t grain storage and a 250t cement grain bunker.

56 & 57 Meridian Road Merrinee, Vic

An out-of-area producer has secured a sizeable north-west Victorian cropping and grazing property close to a major regional centre.

The 2546ha property located at 56 and 57 Meridian Road Merrinee is 30km from Mildura, and close to grain-receival centres near Carwarp, Yelta, Werrimull and Ouyen.

Elders agent Marty Deacon was unable to disclose the buyer or the price paid, but when it listed in August, the holding was offered for $2.975M including 1618ha of wheat and barley.

Mr Deacon said the property sold in line with expectations but was sold on a bare basis.

A 2546ha holding on Meridian Road at Merrinee in Vic’s northwest sold with 1620ha of winter cereals in the ground. Photo: Elders

Around 1942ha of mostly red sandy arable soils are growing more than 1000ha of wheat and 607ha of barley.

The balance is semi-open grazing country featuring some native mallee and herbages and grasses.

The productive property is suited to a range of farming and grazing pursuits and/or carbon initiatives.

Water is supplied by the permanent pressurised Millewa pipeline scheme and two catchment dams.

Improvements include a one-bedroom cabin, a machinery shed and two silos with 140 tonnes of capacity.

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