THIS week’s property review includes recent listings offering grazing, cropping and carbon potential, and significant sales including the purchase of Broughton Vale Station in New South Wales for a national park.

 Tasmanian property could raise $30m+

 High rainfall New England grazing

 Gwydir Park’s offers value in NSW’s New England

 Breeding and finishing country in northern NSW

 The Wattles offers breeding, finishing and fodder cropping

 NSW Western Land Lease offered for $3.3m

 NSW Government buys Broughton Vale Station for a national park

NSW Government secures Broughton Vale Station for a national park

Broughton Vale Station in New South Wales’ far west has been acquired by the Minns Government to protect threatened plants and animals and preserve a sacred Aboriginal site.

The 31,500ha property 75km east of Broken Hill is the largest of 12 land acquisitions made in 2024 to expand the network of national parks in NSW by more than 36,000ha.

Broughton Vale Station includes the Kukirrka or Burkes Cave, a sacred Aboriginal birthing cave used for more than 2000 years and other significant cultural sites containing artworks and engravings.

The cave and a nearby freshwater spring were also used by Burke and Wills during their 1860 expedition from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and as a Cobb and Co stopover between Broken Hill and Wilcannia.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has promised to carry out feral animal and weed control.

NSW Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said the sacred site on Broughton Vale Station holds significant cultural and spiritual meaning for Aboriginal communities and we have taken action to preserve it for generations to come.

“Adding this land to the national parks network is an important step forward in environmental and cultural conservation in NSW.

“It will also greatly enhance ecological, educational, cultural and tourism opportunities in our far west,” she said.

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to turning around the loss and restoring habitats, ecosystems and biodiversity, and expanding our national parks is one way we are delivering on that commitment.”

NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said it cannot be understated how fundamental the preservation of this sacred land is for traditional owners and the broader community.

“The Broughton Vale Station contains sites of enormous cultural significance to the local Aboriginal community and I am proud the Minns Labor Government has taken the steps to ensure this country will be protected for generations to come.”

Broughton Vale Station adjoins the recently created Langidoon-Medford State Conservation Area formed following the 2021 purchase of the Wall family’s neighbouring Langidoon and Metford Stations.

The 60,468ha conservation area 65km east of Broken Hill was described as the second-largest land acquisition in NSW for national parks in the past decade following the purchase of Narriearra Station the previous year.

Tasmanian property could raise $30m+

A grazing, cropping and native forest opportunity in Tasmania’s north-east is expected to raise more than $30 million.

The 1236ha Mineral Banks is being offered for sale by the Foster family after more than 90 years of ownership.

The property is located in the tightly held Ringarooma district, 25km from Scottsdale and 58km from Launceston.

About 781ha have been developed for grazing, with 55ha for intensive cropping and 400ha of native forest.

Colliers Agribusiness agent Duncan McCulloch said the rich red loam and alluvial soils growing improved pastures support both beef cattle and fat lamb production.

“Mineral Banks also offers an incoming purchaser the ability to capitalise on higher value farming operations including dairying, further intensive cropping and development of irrigation infrastructure for fattening operations.”

Agent Connor Dixon said significant volumes of hardwood timber in the native forest offer diversified forestry opportunities and potential for biodiversity stewardship and carbon farming.

Mineral Banks boasts extensive river frontage with the Dorset River and New River traversing the property supported by 1200mm of annual rainfall. It also benefits from 420ML of irrigation water from the Upper Ringarooma scheme.

Infrastructure includes multiple homes, numerous sheds, three cattle yards and a three-stand shearing shed, as well as recently upgraded fencing and internal laneways.

Mineral Banks is being offered to the market by expressions of interest closing on March 20.

The sale is being handled by Colliers agents Duncan McCulloch, Connor Dixon and Rawdon Briggs.

High rainfall New England grazing opportunity

About 1595ha of high rainfall New England grazing is being offered for sale by the Coventry family after 30 years of ownership.

Abberley is a productive grazing property, currently running a 750 to 800 cow self-replacing beef herd, 24km south of Walcha.

The undulating country has a significant portion of arable land, which Ray White Rural agent Andrew Starr described as ideal for pasture development and fodder cropping.

Water is secured by double frontage to the MacDonald River and Bald Creek, the Cobrabald River and numerous dams.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom cottage, a shed, a four-stand shearing shed, two sheep yards and two cattle yards.

Abberley will be auctioned on March 28.

Gwydir Park’s offers value in NSW’s New England

Ray White Rural is offering a property described as a genuine New England value proposition, centrally located between Armidale, Uralla and Inverell.

The 864ha Gwydir Park is being operated as a commercial beef operation suited to both breeding and backgrounding.

Mr Starr believes there is an opportunity to further drive the level of grazing production on Gwydir Park.

“The gently undulating arable grazing land lends itself to pasture development, fodder cropping and ground spreading of fertiliser.”

The property boasts Gwydir River frontage and is watered an equipped bore and numerous dams in a 750mm average annual rainfall region.

Infrastructure includes a five-bedroom home, steel cattle yards, a two-stand shearing shed, sheep yards and numerous sheds.

Gwydir Park will be auctioned on March 20.

Breeding and finishing country in northern NSW

The Trenayr shearing shed.

After 117 years of ownership, the Smith family has listed its breeding and finishing country in northern New South Wales’ Mole River Valley.

The 2499ha Trenayr is located 60km west of Tenterfield, within a 100km radius of several major feedlots.

Over the family’s tenure, Trenayr has been used for wool production and lamb fattening, and most recently for cattle breeding.

The property is rated to run 5000DSE. It is currently home to a quality Brangus cow herd that APL Tenterfield agent Ben Sharpe said regularly produces progeny keenly sought by backgrounders and lot feeders.

The property features river flats and undulating open hills, framed by steeper mountains.

Over the years, the alluvial, loamy, well drained river flats have grown lucerne for hay and winter fodder crops, such as oats, to graze steers out to feedlot weights.

Trenayr benefits from 7km of Mole River frontage (4.4km double frontage) and a 146ML water allocation. Water is also secured by a bore, numerous catchment dams, spring fed gullies and creeks in a 650mm average annual rainfall region.

Trenayr will be auctioned on March 14 by Mr Sharpe together with APL Birch Rural agent Bruce Birch.

The Wattles offers breeding, finishing and fodder cropping

A mixed farm in the central west region of New South Wales offering breeding, finishing and fodder cropping with opportunities for further improvements, has been listed with a $6.7 million to $7.2 million price guide.

After five years of ownership, the Mason Family Rural Holdings Trust is selling the 1178ha The Wattles due to a change of direction.

The property is located 8km from Baldry and 45km from Parkes and around 77km from the Forbes saleyards. It has experienced a good spring and summer and is carrying a substantial body of feed.

Belle Property agent Rob Nevins reports steady interest from a number of genuine, out of area, buyers seeking geographic diversity and expansion.

The country is mostly flat to slightly undulating with some steep timbered hills with some semi-permanent creeks. Along the creek flats there are heavier alluvial soils rising to granite loams.

Around 80 percent is arable with up to 700ha developed for summer and winter grazing around 8000DSE on mostly native pastures.

Mr Nevins said over recent years, The Wattles has undergone significant structural improvements and soil enrichment programs.

“Zero and minimum till practices have been used with lime application, and the results have been amazing.

“There are further opportunities for new owners to establish more improved pastures.”

The Wattles is situated in a 700mm rainfall area. It is also watered by a bore and 21 dams, two of which have been recently constructed.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, 170 tonnes of grain storage in nine silos, a three-stand shearing shed, new steel cattle and sheep yards, around 10km of new steel fencing including new laneways and numerous sheds.

NSW western land lease offered for $3.3m

Some Bookaloo Dorper sheep with goats in the background.

There has been good inquiry for a grazing property neighbouring the Gundabooka National Park in north-western New South Wales.

The 10,462ha western land lease Bookaloo Station has been owned and improved by Clark Concreting and Excavation over 15 years.

The property is located near Gunderbooka, 90km from Bourke and 130km from Cobar.

Interest is believed to be coming from a wide range of producers, and would no doubt include the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage who is on the hunt to expand existing national parks and protect critical habitats.

Bookaloo has been listed for $3.3 million. It has views of Mount Gunderbooka and offers potential for carbon sequestration.

The property has a good body of feed on mainly red loam soils, and is timbered with mulga, box, belah and leopard wood. It can carry 2500 Dorper sheep. Additional income is sourced from goat harvesting and seasonal cattle.

Bookaloo is situated in a 300mm annual rainfall region and watered by 10 dams.

Infrastructure includes a recently renovated three-bedroom home, sheep and cattle yards and numerous sheds.

Gain Realty agent Clem Gribble said 80km of fencing has been replaced over the last 10 years.