Pindaroi offers livestock production expansion options

ONE of the Inverell district’s best mixed farming properties is being sold by Chris and Bec Tonkin after 15 years of ownership.

The historic 1938ha Pindaroi Station is located close to the township bearing the same name, roughly halfway between Inverell and Ashford on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.

It is only the second time in 55 years that Pindaroi Station has changed hands. Prior to the Tonkins, it was by Geoff and Kaye Bassett for around 40 years.

RDR Real Estate agent Wally Duff was unable to offer a price guide; however, good farming country in the district is selling for $12,500/ha, and good grazing country is making around $7500/ha.

According to the Inverell Pioneer Village, Pindaroi Station once formed part of a much larger holding spanning 16,000ha settled by George Polhill in 1846. It was then acquired by James Campbell, a son of Alexander Campbell of Inverell Station.

The Tonkins estimate the property could carry 700 beef breeders together with the cash crop or 700 breeders and 3000 ewes or 1000 adult equivalents.

The gently undulating country is situated 570m to 800m above sea level in an 800mm summer dominant rainfall area.

Around 752ha are arable and comprise 70 percent chocolate and red basalt and 30pc soft trap soils growing a mix of winter and summer crops including oats, wheat, sorghum, mung beans and lucerne.

Currently, 495ha are fallow for winter planting and 149ha are sown to winter forage crops.

Pindaroi Station is watered by two bores, the permanent Pindaroi Creek and 24 dams.

Improvements include two homes, numerous sheds, two shearing sheds, sheep and cattle yards and eight silos with 936-tonnes of grain storage.

While it is early days, Mr Duff reports good interest from corporates and out of area producers seeking scale.

Expressions of interest for Pindaroi Station close on May 27.

Pine plantation offers good income on South Australian property

OFFERS above $12 million are being sought for a prime lamb and continuous cropping enterprise in South Australia’s mid south-east that offers a lucrative additional cash flow.

The versatile 1594ha Paldaro comprises four adjoining holdings – 602ha David’s, 528ha Paldaro, 321 Box’s and 142ha Willbro – aggregated over 51 years by the Will family.

The property is situated in a 500mm to 550mm reliable rainfall area, between Frances and Wolseley, 31km from Bordertown and close to the Victorian border.

The cropping country features heavy clays to heavy and lighter loams that have been regularly clayed and fertilised.

Vendor David Will said the soil types lend themselves to any type of cropping. Over the past 15 years, he has been growing a mix of canola, faba beans, wheat, barley, oats, lucerne and lupins.

Currently, 250ha are being conservatively farmed, but Mr Will said that area could be expanded to 800ha.

In addition to the cropping, Mr Will is running 2500 breeding ewes on a balance of blue gum flats and rising red gum country.

A 279ha forestry plantation established in 1983 will provide the buyer with a considerable income stream for not a huge amount of input costs. It is growing mostly radiata pine that has been independently assessed as capable of producing around 43,000 tonnes of timber.

Most days, Mr Will has been trucking timber to a local sawmill in Mt Gambier that described the product as ‘good quality, good sized and high value wood’.

Mr Will said the plantation could provide the new owner with a steady weekly income stream over the next 15 years or it could be cut down over the next three years.

Mr Will said Paldaro is a turnkey operation offering scale and diversity.

“The incoming purchaser can hedge their bets and swing between cropping or livestock depending on seasons and commodity prices.”

Paldaro has two water licences supported by numerous dams.

Improvements include two homes, a three-stand shearing shed, undercover sheep yards, two sheds, quality fencing and laneways.

Paldaro is being offered as a whole or separately. Elders agent Grant Schubert and PPHS agent Richard Harvie are handling the sale.