VALUES for well-watered cattle breeding country in the Bingara district will undergo a double-barrelled test on March 26 when two local properties go under the auctioneer's hammer in Moree.
Both are being marketed by Ray White Rural Moree: "Llangollan", which featured in these pages on March 5, and the smaller-scale but more intensively developed "Emohta", which is this week's focus.
Comprising 1737 hectares (4295ac), "Emohta" (which, in case you haven't worked it out, is "at home" spelled backwards!) is the property of Norman and Penelope Armstrong.
The Armstrongs bought the original "Emohta" - then comprising about 1150ha - in 2003, adding a further 580ha in 2005 with the purchase of part of adjoining "Weebah".
"Emohta" was taken up by the Young family of Bingara in 1910.
They added more country in 1924 and held the property until 1980, primarily operating it as a sheep enterprise.
It was then bought by the Hull family to run wethers, until sold to the present owners, who switched the enterprise focus to cattle breeding and trading, with a core breeding herd of around 400 females.
The Armstrongs have taken "Emohta" to a new level of productivity as a result of major developments undertaken, but are reluctantly selling now to relocate to Armidale for children's education reasons.
Situated 27 kilometres south of Bingara, "Emohta" is a mostly gently undulating property with creek flats rising to low hills and some higher timbered areas.
Soils are mostly soft black to red self-mulching types, but with some trap in the higher country and a rich plateau area comprising some 400ha of chocolate and red basalt.
About 120ha of country has been cultivated including 60ha now ready to be sown to winter oats, and the balance is natural pasture with good ground cover achieved by rotational grazing and targeted topdressing.
Average rainfall is about 800mm and the property is watered by 32 dams (mostly newly constructed or desilted) and two bores reticulating to tanks and troughs, plus springs and waterholes in two creeks.
The present owners use horses by choice for much of their stockwork, to which end they have erected a stable/tack room complex together with a series of horse paddocks and a sand arena.
Other working structures include a four-bay steel machinery shed, a five-stand raised-board shearing shed and a new set of steel and timber cattle yards together with a feed bunker and lot-feeding facility for weaners.
The five-bedroom weatherboard homestead is set in attractive gardens and boasts a modern kitchen, enclosed verandahs and polished floors.
Contact Tim Lyne, 0428 657 174.
Peter Austin
Former editor and long time columnist and property writer for The Land.
Former editor and long time columnist and property writer for The Land.
