ONE of the largest blocks of developed farming country on the Barwon River floodplain has hit the market, to wind up a five-generation tenure of Fleming family ownership.
The property, "Ulah" at Walgett, was taken up by the Flemings in 1880, when the vast Gingie Run of Scott and Rich- mond, of which "Ulah" was an outstation, was broken up for settlement.
Over the intervening years the property has weathered the droughts and floods of the North West, and the booms and slumps that go with them.
Just now, it's no secret the Walgett district is in the grip of a tenacious drought - the longest drought since records began, now in its fourth year - but the rains will come, and good times will return.
Only three years ago the Walgett Shire ranked third in the state for wheat production, and the district has a long history as a leading wool producer and source of market-topping, grass-fed prime cattle.
That's the alluring scenario owners David and Vicki Fleming will be keen to present to prospective buyers of their "Ulah" property, now they have taken the hard (but voluntary) decision to move on.
The Flemings have listed "Ulah" for sale with Clemson Hiscox and Company, Walgett.
It is being offered by tender, with a closing date of July 30, and Chris Clemson says it's already attracting genuine inquiry.
Situated 28 kilometres west of Walgett, where it fronts the Barwon River for 30km, "Ulah" is a property of 10,629 hectares (26,289 acres), comprising mostly open plains of grey/black cracking clay soils.
Some higher areas of lighter loam country provide livestock ref- uge in times of beneficial flooding, which can see more than half the property inundated.
For many years oriented towards woolgrowing (and home to the former Ulah Merino stud), when it typically carried about 8000 sheep, "Ulah" under present management has had a cropping and cattle focus.
Of the total area, 3244ha has been developed for broadacre cropping, most of it since 2001, and about 1400ha of additional country is covered by cultivation licence and available for development.
An irrigation block of 366ha has also been developed where cotton and other crops are grown, subject to water availability from the Barwon River, to which the property has a B-class licence of 834 megalitres.
The balance of the country comprises open to semi-timbered grazing plains supporting a range of native grasses, edible bush and herbage well suited to sheep or cattle breeding, trading and seasonal finishing.
Once home to a Poll Shorthorn stud, the property in recent years has hosted a commercial breeding program based on Santa Gertrudis females mated to Angus bulls, with progeny grown and finished as seasons allow.
Two sub-artesian bores supply stock water to tanks and troughs in all paddocks, supplemented by five ground tanks.
Working improvements are substantial and include two 2200-tonne cement-floored grain sheds (one with skillion for machinery storage), a workshop, hayshed and two 70-tonne Twister silos.
Livestock infrastructure includes an eight-stand shearing shed and two sets of sheepyards, a main set of steel cattle yards with crush erected in 2009 and a second set of steel and timber yards.
The homestead is a large, six-bedroom weatherboard structure dating from 1860 with later additions and recently painted and re-roofed, set in mature gardens beside a lagoon, with in-ground pool and tennis court.
Other structures include two cottages, an aircraft hangar, and a horse complex with six stables.
n Contact Clemson Hiscox, (02) 6828 3444.
