THIS week’s property review includes a wrap up of recently completed sales, including the adding of Nilpena Station to South Australia’s national park estate.

 SA grazing operation added to national park

 $12m for NSW western lands lease

 Blackall’s Benalla changes hands post auction

SA grazing operation added to national park

Nilpena Station in the northern Flinders Ranges has been purchased by the South Australian government for $4 million to expand the adjacent, and state’s newest, national park by a further 26,000ha.

The Nilpena Ediacara National Park, which officially opened in 2023, will now span around 86,000ha boosting the national target to protect and conserve 30 percent of Australia’s landmass by 2030.

Nilpena Station was settled by Thomas Elder and Robert Barr Smith in 1859 and was acquired by the Fargher family in the early 1980s.

After the discovery of Ediacaran fossils, the South Australian government paid $2.2 million for two-thirds of the property in 2019 to ensure the fossils were protected and expand the adjacent Ediacara Conservation Park. In 2021, the area was declared the Nilpena Ediacara National Park.

It is treasured for its collection of fossils containing Earth’s earliest complex animal life. The fossil bed known as ‘Alice’s Restaurant Bed’ is the focal point of a visit and showcases multicellular animal life that lived 560 million to 542 million years ago.

Station owners Ross and Jane Fargher have been working with Jason Irving, head of the national parks program, for the past seven years and acting as caretakers of the fossil beds until a ranger was appointed.

Last month, the Farghers decided to sell the rest of Nilpena to the government, concerned the next owners may not be interested in fossils.

As well as the impressive fossil beds, the Nilpena National Park is known to support native species such as dunnarts, quolls, snakes and lizards. The newly acquired land will facilitate conservation work to protect the endangered thick-billed grass wren and the possible re-introduction of the bilby to the region.

$12m for NSW western lands lease

A western lands lease opportunity in the Central Darling Shire of New South Wales has been snapped up prior to auction selling to a Booligal district producer with family ties to Ivanhoe.

The 24,423ha Waiko is situated east of Ivanhoe and comprises adjoining properties, the 16,188ha Waiko and 8235ha Woolahra.

Elders agents Jason Telford and Matt Horne were unable to disclose the name of the buyer but confirmed the property sold for around the $12 million ($494/ha) price guide.

Waiko was sold by Mark and Lee Newnham from Hay, and Rob, Nancy, Andrew and Lisa Hiscock from Kilmore in Victoria.

The country features open plains lightly timbered with wilga, belah and leopard wood. The red to grey soils are growing saltbush, bluebush, cottonbush, trefoil and crowsfoot after a great start to the season.

It has been running 5210 ewes, 2956 followers and 142 cattle.

Waiko was sold with a 193ha cultivation agreement and is watered by four equipped bores and supported by 307mm of average rainfall.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home in need of renovation, shearers’ quarters, a seven-stand shearing shed, steel sheep and cattle yards, two outstation yards and a shed.

Blackall’s Benalla changes hands post auction

Blackall’s Benalla Station has sold immediately after auction for more than $890/ha ($360/ac) or $6.3 million to a family with significant landholdings in the Barcaldine, Morven and Mungallala districts.

The 7158ha are located 85km west of Blackall in central western Queensland and were offered to the market after 30 years of ownership by the Krieg family.

Ray White Rural agent Andrew Turner was unable to disclose the buyer or the price paid, but described it as a strong result for the district.

The property is suited to cattle, sheep and goats and rated to run 640 Adult Equivalents. The purchaser is planning to use Benalla to background cattle.

In the past, the property has run around 4200 sheep (in a normal season) comprising 1800 ewes and their progeny and 1200 wethers.

The country is described as an exceptional mix of semi open downs Mitchell grass country with areas of pulled gidgee and creek channels growing established buffel grass and an abundance of seasonal herbages.

Benalla Station is watered by a sub-bore and nine dams (four are equipped).

Infrastructure includes a partially renovated four-bedroom home, numerous sheds, new cattle yards, a six-stand shearing shed and two sheep yards. All but two of the paddocks are exclusion fenced.