A dream run in ‘God’s country’

He and his wife Denise, together running a dairy farm at Gloucester, decided to make the move north and found "Pitcalnie" - 253 hectares (627 acres) of land about 48 kilometres south of Walcha.

"It's a beautiful bit of country where we are - we call it God's country," Mr Haw- don said.

Running a herd of mostly Angus and a few Hereford cows (about 160 cows with calves) on "Pitcalnie" since then, the Hawdons have found the property to be ideal for their purposes: growing out the calves to about 450 to 500 kilograms and then selling them off to feedlots at about 17 months of age.

The cattle have grazed on undulating country of red and chocolate basalt soils and through to loam types.

With a three stand wool shed on the property, Mr Hawdon said "Pitcalnie" would also be suited to sheep.

Mr Hawdon said "Pitcalnie" has received annual applications of superphosphate every year they had been on the property, apart from last year.

Those applications have enhanced the pasture mix which includes cocksfoot, clovers, and fescues.

"I've put in some high performance rye in a few paddocks, which has given good feed in winter," Mr Hawdon said.

The property has been subdivided into 12 paddocks and features a laneway system.

Infrastructure on "Pitcalnie" includes a set of steel cattle yards, steel sheep yards, the three stand wool shed and a steel machinery and hay shed.

The property's three bedroom weatherboard homestead has been improved over the years, and features reverse-cycle heating and cooling, as well as a verandah, French doors and a sunroom.

Mr Hawdon described "Pitcalnie" as a well-improved property in a high rainfall area.

Average annual rainfall is between 950 millimetres to 1000mm.

The property has a frontage to the Macdonald River, and also has 13 dams.

Listed for sale with John Collier and Graham Evans, of Collier Property Sales, Tamworth, "Pitcalnie" goes to auction in just over a week, on November 8.

Contact John Collier, 0428 667 796, or Graham Evans, 0419 433 505.