AN ENNGONIA district property to the north-west of Bourke represents productivity on a large scale and judging by the lengthy family ownership the offering of "Wapweelah" is one endorsed by reliability and stature.
The station was briefly called "Wopweily" when first taken up in the late 1850s and totalled 200,000 acres.
Today at 27,400 hectares (67,715ac), "Wapweelah" has built a reputation as a strong wool and sheep producer but with recent improvements to water on the property, its cattle producing capabilities have also been enhanced.
Current owner Phillip Ridge is selling for consolidation purposes to focus on other holdings on the Darling River.
"For me, given I also spent a lot of my childhood here, there is some sentimental attachment to the property and I agree with the comment of those who visit that it is also a place with a good 'feel'," he said.
"Wapweelah" was purchased by Mr Ridge's great great grandfather, James Robertson, a Victorian grazier, in the mid 1870s.
Trading as James Robertson and Co., his partners in "Wapweelah" and another property, "Jandra" (near Bourke), were family members, Coiler McCracken and Alexander Oliver, who later sold their shares.
Since then, it has remained in the family over five generations for all but 15 years when the property was sold in 1985, but Mr Ridge, in partnership with his aunt Jacqueline Thompson, purchased the property back in 2000.
That good feeling to the property Mr Ridge describes is exemplified in its productivity, such as a conservative carrying capacity of 10,000 dry sheep equivalents.
The property has typically carried a Mumblebone-blood Merino wether flock with a focus on 18- to 19-micron wool (although historically 21-micron wool), with some ewes also joined to SAMM rams at one point.
The property also carries cattle (up to 500 breeders at one stage) as well as large numbers on agistment and on a trade basis in good years, such as from 2010 through to 2012.
More recent improvements to the property have involved the implementation of the cap and pipe the bores program, which Mr Ridge said had revolutionised the place.
He said becoming eligible for this scheme last year had meant the property now lent itself even more to cattle.
Mr Ridge identified a major attraction of the property as this water system, as well as periodic beneficial flooding.
About two thirds of the property is subject to this flooding from the Irrara Creek - 67 per cent of the property consists of alluvial flood plains.
Substantial beneficial flooding is received, on average, about every four or five years.
He also said the mix of red and black soil types were a feature.
These soil types include red loams, as well as chocolate and black alluvial soils.
The property has been listed for private sale at $2.8 million with Chris Meares, Meares and Associates, Sydney, and Greg Seiler, Landmark Walsh Hughes, Bourke.
Mr Meares described the property as a "profitable wool growing investment", and met the market demand for a low input rural property.
"Wapweelah" has a new artesian bore which was installed last year, and which brings water to 24 tanks and 60 troughs across the property, which is subdivided into 14 paddocks.
Average annual rainfall is about 350 millimetres.
Pasture varieties include Mitchell, blue, and sugar grass, as well as warrego summer grass, neverfail, Flinders grass and umbrella grass.
"Wapweelah" is situated 30 kilometres west of Enngonia, and 130km north-west of Bourke.
The property has a three bedroom homestead, a five stand electric wool shed with steel sheep yards, another set of steel sheep yards, steel cattle yards with a capacity for 500 head, shearers' quarters, machinery shed, workshop and stables.
Contact Meares and Associates, (02) 9362 8111, or Greg Seiler, 0429 701 136.
Nick Heydon
The Land's property editor.
The Land's property editor.
