TWO adjoining properties to the south east of Goondiwindi have been listed for an April 17 auction in a move set to stand out for those on the lookout for high quality grazing land combined with irrigated fodder cropping.
"Noalimba", at 1283 hectares (3170 acres) and the 803ha (1984ac) "Rocky Bar", are for sale with Rob Tweedy, of Goondiwindi Rural and Residential Real Estate, after owners Mark and Sally Holcombe decided to sell due to succession reasons and to engage in other pursuits.
"Noalimba" was purchased in the mid 1970s, while "Rocky Bar" was bought in the early to mid 1980s.
The properties are adjoining with a stock route running in between.
Mrs Holcombe said among major improvments on "Noalimba" was the centre pivot irrigator fed with a 486 megalitre bore license.
There is also enough room to install another centre pivot if desired.
She said in recent years they had gone into prime lambs in a big way, one of their most profitable enterprises.
As a result, they had installed new sheep yards and three feedlot pens.
The couple grow oats, buy in and fatten lambs on the crop, and turn them off usually within about three months.
They have been running the prime lambs on the property's black basalt creek flats and improved pastures.
Water supply includes the property's irrigation bore, two stock bores, two creeks and a lagoon, in addition to Ottleys Creek.
The property's homestead is of timber construction and has four bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
There is also a two-bedroom, one- bathroom guest cottage.
The neighbouring "Rocky Bar" has double frontage to the Macintyre River.
Improvements on the property include cattle yards and a two-stand shearing shed in good condition.
Here the Holcombes run about 600 Merino ewes on the northern side of the Macintyre River.
There is a 99-megalitre and a 45ML high-flow irrigation licence.
The property also runs about 400 trade cattle on either oats or forage sorghum.
Structures on "Rockey Bar" include a three-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage, semi-portable cattle yards, and a two-stand woolshed.
"Rocky Bar" has heavy black river flats and light sandy soil types.
The properties are 21 kilometres from Yetman and just over 50km from Goondiwindi.
"Rocky Bar has about 120ha (296ac) of farming land while "Noalimba" has 202ha (500ac) of farming land for fodder crops.
As one offering, the properties offer total land area of 2086ha (about 5155ac).
Nick Heydon
The Land's property editor.
The Land's property editor.
