THE land rush is on, as some of Australian farming’s signature properties flood the market.
Recent farm sales across the country have surpassed $300 million and some of those big bucks are in north-west Victoria.
That included the recent $32 million off-market purchase of a 350ha almond orchard in the Sunraysia region by the Warakirri Diversified Agriculture Fund.
Now one of Australia’s biggest dairy farming operators has decided to shed a “surplus” 4000ha northern Victorian aggregation expected to fetch about $60 million.
Australian Fresh Milk Holdings listed its Torrumbarry Farms Aggregation – which has been used for wheat, barely, canola, silage and fodder crops while also supporting dairy heifer rearing – because it no longer fits the business strategy.
LAWD senior director Danny Thomas said the aggregation was a large-scale irrigated mixed farming opportunity, underpinned by significant water entitlements, adjacent to the Murray.
Under AMFH is had extensive land class development, enhancing production and maximising cropping efficiencies.
Mr Thomas said of its about 4031ha, a total of about 1887ha – or 47 per cent of the holding – had been developed to centre pivot/lateral move irrigation (1111ha) and laser levelled flood irrigation (776ha), while dryland cropping was about 1636ha and the balance was grazing, remnant vegetation and support land.
He said it came with about 1939 megalitres of High Reliability Murray Zone 7 and Goulburn 1A, and 174 megalitres of Low Reliability Murray Zone 7 water entitlements.
There was also multiple on-farm water storages (1350ML combined) incorporating capacity to store excess water following high rainfall/river flow events.
Torrumbarry Farms is 16km to Echuca and 193km to Melbourne.
It is for sale by expression of interest, closing August 10 at noon.
Further down the Murray, Bella Vista, a 1775ha Euston irrigation property sold by the Costa Group in 2015 for a reported $35 million, is back on the market with a price range up to $40 million.
An institutional scale irrigated horticultural opportunity, Bella Vista was currently planted to 401ha of established table grapes and 121ha of citrus (oranges, lemons and mandarins).
Also included was 1003ha of development land suited to intensive horticulture (table grapes, citrus and avocados), with the balance being conservation and support land.
Mr Thomas said the property had been extensively developed to irrigation (double drip tape and overhead sprays), including significant below-ground infrastructure to support the next stage of development.
He said it also had secure access to irrigation water from the Murray River, supplied through three pumps which deliver water underground through two high-capacity irrigation 450mm pipelines to a centrally located on-farm water storage (about 400 megalitres).
“The fit-for-purpose infrastructure includes three modern packing sheds/cool room storage (5259sq m), three pressure cool rooms (580 pallet capacity) and 11 frost fans … benefited by high quality soil types and a Mediterranean climate,” Mr Thomas said.
Bella Vista is 60km from Mildura and was also for sale by expression of interest, closing August 10 at noon.
