Property's dynamic Merino appeal

Today, renamed Kyabra Station to incorporate the prefix of the family's Merino stud previously based at Marulan, near Goulburn, the property has 93 paddocks and an international reputation for its superfine wool.

They are just two of the changes that have transformed the former low-key company station over the past 20 years into one of the most dynamic breeding and woolgrowing operations in New England.

And now it's ready for another change, with the present owners, Peter and Eloisa Lytton-Hitchins, having decided they have achieved what they set out to achieve, and now want to pursue new challenges.

They have listed the famous property for sale by expressions of interest with Meares and Associates of Sydney and Landmark Harcourts Armidale, and tenders will close on November 12.

Comprising 5259 hectares (12,996 acres), Kyabra Station is a familiar landmark to motorists travelling north from Tamworth on the New England Highway, to which the property has a 14 kilometre frontage.

It was no less familiar in its former guise as Standbye Station, held for the latter part of last century by T.A. Field Estates, who ran it in conjunction with their nearby "Congi" property, carrying Merino wethers, crossbred ewes and Hereford cows.

Before that, it was owned for many years by the Vickers family, who also held "Wilson's Creek" at Uralla.

Situated at Kentucky, 20km south of Uralla and 70km north of Tamworth, the property comprises mostly open, undulating native pasture country of New England granite formation, with areas of traprock.

Sheltered flats lining the several creek systems that intersect the property rise to low grazing hills and timbered ridges with some rocky outcrops.

Average rainfall is 800mm and the property is well watered by the three creek systems, dams and springs.

Shade and shelter trees of white and yellow box, apple, gum and peppermint trees dot the property, in addition to which the owners have planted 60,000 young trees as wildlife corridors and creek protection.

Fenced into just 15 paddocks when the Lytton-Hitchins family took over, the property now has close to 100 paddocks and is managed conservatively for "planned grazing", to maximise ground cover.

This means that while the property has an estimated 25,000 to 28,000 dry sheep equivalents carrying capacity, much of this now takes the form of traded or agisted stock that can be offloaded if the season turns tight without compromising the core Merino breeding operation.

Up to 1500 head of cattle have been carried in this way, supplementing returns from the superfine Merino flock now numbering about 12,500 head (including 5500 ewes), and at times, prime lambs.

Although numbers are now reduced, the owners claim to have shorn more than 17,000 sheep in eight of the past 10 years, for a flock average micron of 16.2 and yield of 78 per cent.

The property is being marketed as a large-scale, low-input grazing proposition, ideally suited to sheep or cattle breeding and premium wool production, and needing no new expenditure to bring it up to speed.

In the past five years alone, the owners have erected 120km of new fencing, and 13km of fenced and watered laneways facilitate stock management.

The main homestead, built of sandstone in 2001 and set in landscaped gardens with sweeping views, has five bedrooms, open-plan and formal living areas, under-floor heating and solar hot water.

It is complemented by a four-bedroom manager's house renovated in 2010, a two-bedroom guests' lodge and a shearers' quarters (or guest accommodation) with function room to seat 60, renovated in 2011.

Working improvements are substantial and include the well-maintained original shearing shed of 10 stands with adjacent steel sheepyards and two outlying sets of sheepyards, two sets of steel cattle yards and an artificial (sheep) breeding centre licensed for semen export.

Offers for Kyabra Station are expected in a range from $12 million $14m, with the successful tenderer also having the option of negotiating the purchase of the highly-regarded Merino flock.

Contact Meares and Associates, (02) 9362 8111, or Landmark Armidale, (02) 6772 8188.