AN UPPER Hunter property with links to the colony’s first wave of “respectable” free settlement has been listed for sale as a result of its owners’ changed circumstances.
“Cullingral” at Merriwa is owned by the well-known northern NSW grazier/historian Brice Stokes, who bought the 202 hectare (500ac) property post-auction in 2006.
It was to be his new, easily-managed home base, following his sale of the more challenging 3800ha “Dun-
more” at Manilla in 2004 after 15 years, and earlier pastoral forays at Walcha and Spring Ridge.
His medico wife Bronwyn, however, has subsequently joined a practice at Port Macquarie, where the couple now spend most of their time, and “Cullingral” has become surplus to requirements.
The property has accordingly been listed for private sale with Huw Llewelyn of G.M. Llewelyn and Company, Merriwa, at $3.8 million – a price that reflects its rich history, choice location and income potential.
“Cullingral” started life as a 320ac (130ha) land grant in 1839 to Charles Blaxland – grandson of the explorer Gregory Blaxland – when the rich flats flanking what is now the Merriwa River were known as the Gummum Plains.
One of the first settlers on these plains had been Gregory’s older brother, John Blaxland, who received 3109ha in 1831 as a “compensation grant” after earlier being denied by unsympathetic governors the lands he had been promised before leaving England.
John and Gregory Blaxland had been successful farmers in Kent before selling up to emigrate in 1805, and were among the earliest cashed-up free settlers to arrive in the fledgling colony.
But differences with Governor Bligh, and later Governor Macquarie, resulted in them being stymied in their pastoral ambitions until official attitudes to private enterprise changed in the post-Macquarie era.
Charles Blaxland annexed other holdings fronting the river adjacent to his grant, until “Cullingral” extended almost from the southern edge of present-day Merriwa to the Goulburn River junction.
The Pastoral Directory of 1897 shows “Cullingral” – then owned by Cooper and Son – carrying 24,000 sheep and 2000 head of cattle, and in 1925 it was still a sizeable holding of 3300ha.
Since then “Cullingral” has been whittled down to the 202ha homestead block it is today, incorporating the choicest land of the original grant, including 136ha of rich alluvial flats lining the Merriwa River.
Three kilometres south of Merriwa, “Cullingral” is noted chiefly for its heritage homestead, built in 1839 (with later additions) for Charles Blaxland, and faithfully maintained by later owners.
Set in established gardens with in-ground pool and tennis court, the gracious sandstone home has seven bedrooms, modern kitchen, formal and outdoor entertaining areas and many period features.
A 158-megalitre groundwater licence comes with the property, and a 24ha river licence, offering scope for intensive production such as dairying, lucerne hay or stud breeding.
The property is managed now for cattle backgrounding and finishing, with supplementary cropping, but in addition to its owner-operated enterprises it derives a regular income stream from another source.
A quail hatching and growing enterprise centred on three purpose-built sheds established by the previous owner, Armenio Bento, is now leased to a specialised game bird producer and yields $130,000 a year, indexed to the CPI.
The property is well fenced and has cattle yards and steel machinery/hay shed, grain shed and (unused) shearing shed.
Contact Huw Llewelyn, (02) 6548 2008.
Peter Austin
Former editor and long time columnist and property writer for The Land.
Former editor and long time columnist and property writer for The Land.
