THIS week’s property review includes a wrap-up of interesting recent sales and listings across the country.

 Chinese offload Monaro Grazing Portfolio

 New England aggregation offers scale and water

 Upper Hunter breeding & finishing country

Chinese offload Monaro Grazing Portfolio

CHINESE retail giant Dashang Group has offloaded a premium grazing portfolio in the Monaro region of southern New South Wales for more than its $18 million price guide.

The 4366ha aggregation has been built up over 14 years. It comprises three properties: the 2269ha Biggam, the neighbouring 321ha Tara in Rocky Plain, and the 1775ha Worongah in Jimenbuen, 82km away or around 1.5 hours by car.

Late last year, the Monaro Grazing Portfolio was offered to the market by the Dashang Group looking to take advantage of strong buyer demand.

Colliers Agribusiness agent Rawdon Briggs was unable to disclose the price paid or the buyer, but said the portfolio was purchased by an Australian investor.

The three holdings are used for sheep and beef production with an estimated carrying capacity of 16,000DSE.

Biggam has been extensively developed for grazing with improved and native pastures, several spring fed dams and quality fencing.

Improvements include a three-bedroom home, shearers’ quarters, steel cattle yards, a six-stand shearing shed, sheep yards and several sheds.

Tara has bitumen road frontage and quality fencing with water supplied by spring fed dams. Improvements include a three-bedroom home, a machinery shed, a workshop and steel cattle yards.

Worongah has 6km of Snowy River frontage and Matong Creek frontage and comprises gently undulating open and timbered country with productive soils. Improvements include a three-bedroom home, a two-stand shearing shed, sheep yards and a machinery shed.

New England aggregation offers scale and water

A CARBON credit venture is being offered on a quality livestock and cropping enterprise that has been listed for sale in northern New South Wales’ New England region.

The 3537ha Echo Aggregation is located 13km from Deepwater and 52km from Glen Innes, and consists of seven contiguous properties: 366ha Echo, 452ha Cloudy Hills, 664ha Carrot Farm, 518ha Bushgrove, 518ha Rockabbey, 518ha Sugarloaf and 500ha Bingeye.

The property is anticipated to achieve between $20 million and $22 million. It has been extensively developed by owners Herde Land Pty Ltd and Raguz Land Pty Ltd.

LAWD agent Darren Collins said over recent years, the vendors have converted native pastures to cultivation and invested in water infrastructure and fencing.

“The current enterprise is used to breed and finish around 2626 adult equivalents on improved and timbered grazing land.

“In addition, around 16ha have been developed to centre pivot irrigation and 877ha to dryland cropping growing oats, barley and corn,” he said.

Mr Collins said there is potential for carbon offsets and biodiversity stewardship payments.

“Armidale-based carbon advisor, Precision Pastures, has identified the aggregation’s primarily loamy traprock soils as being ideal for carbon sequestration.

“Preliminary due diligence has also been conducted to analyse options for carbon offsets for tree sequestration and biodiversity stewardship payments across further areas of the landholding,” Mr Collins said.

Water is sourced from 13km of dual frontage to the Deepwater River, the Bow Creek, watercourses, several gullies and 34 catchment dams. Added water security is offered by a 104ML water licence from the Mole River.

Improvements include five homes, five cattle and sheep yards, three shearing sheds, numerous sheds and 108 tonnes of grain storage.

The Echo Aggregation is being offered for sale via expressions of interest closing on 22 August.

Upper Hunter breeding and finishing country

After three years ownership, the Caskey family from Barraba has listed its breeding and finishing livestock operation in New South Wales’ Upper Hunter.

The 2122ha Fernleigh, which neighbours the Packer family’s Ellerston Station, is located 45 minutes from Murrurundi and 85km north-east of Scone.

The property is listed with a price guide of $12,325,750 to $13.9 million, and McGrath Upper Hunter agent Michael Burke said the expectations are in line with the most recent comparable sales within the district over the past six months.

The undulating to hilly pasture improved grazing country has chocolate basalt with some red loams that offer a high carrying capacity with significant scope for further development.

Fernleigh boasts two creek frontages and is watered by two bores and 46 dams supported by 822mm of annual average rainfall.

Mr Burke believes Fernleigh is suited to either producers, metropolitan or commercial investors.

Infrastructure includes three residences, a four-stand shearing shed, steel sheep and cattle yards and two sheds.

Fernleigh is being offered for sale by expressions of interest closing on 29 August.