LOW-cost cattle breeding on a large scale, in a high-rainfall location handy to major markets: that’s the tempting package being presented to buyers with the offering of “Glen Barra”.
The northern NSW property also has a long, distinguished history of former ownership by one of the district’s founding families and a heritage homestead dating to the 1870s.
Comprising 9233 hectares (22,807 acres), “Glen Barra” is an aggregation situated 74 kilometres north of Tamworth, between Manilla and Bendemeer.
As such, it ranks as one of the largest land parcels in the area, and one of the most significant calf factories, with a current breeding base of 1700 cows plus replacements.
“Glen Barra” is one of two Tamworth district properties owned by Neil Latimer, a former expatriate coffee grower at Goroka in New Guinea, who returned to Australia in the 1970s.
He bought “Glen Barra” (then a much smaller holding) in 1979 and runs it today with his son, Ben, in conjunction with his 800ha “Mornington” property just outside Tamworth.
Mr Latimer also has cattle properties in Central Queensland, and is selling “Glen Barra” now as the first stage of a winding-down strategy towards retirement.
He has listed “Glen Barra” for sale with Burke and Smyth Country of Tamworth and MacCallum Inglis of Scone, for auction in Tamworth on March 31.
“Glen Barra” was originally part of the huge area north of Tamworth once held by the Park family, whose family seat was nearby “Longford”, taken up by their Scottish forebear, George Gibson, in the 1840s.
Since buying “Glen Barra”, Mr Latimer has managed to annex four adjacent properties that had been hived off the original Park holding over the years, to rebuild a sizeable aggregation.
These purchases – of “The Springs”, “Bracken Hills”, “Bradford Park” and “Llewelyn Park” – give the property a good mix of soils, topography and vegetation, ideal for a large-scale breeding operation.
Ranging in elevation from 900 to 1200 metres, “Glen Barra” enjoys a relatively high average rainfall of 825 millimetres, or about 125mm more than Mr Latimer’s country closer to Tamworth.
Soils range from basalt to granite and trap and pastures are predominantly native grasses interspersed with clovers aerially seeded.
About 5500ha of the total area is productive pasture, regularly supered, and the balance semi-timbered natural country – a valuable foraging resource in times of drought.
This supports a breeding program based on 1700 Angus and Angus-cross cows. Calves are either sold as weaners or taken to “Mornington” for growing out on crop to feeder weights.
The successful buyer will have the opportunity to take over the existing cattle herd (which includes 300 pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers), if desired.
Thanks to the re-aggregation program of the past 30 years, “Glen Barra” is amply provided with improvements, including four woolsheds, three sets of cattleyards and other shedding.
The main homestead, built in about 1870 for Adam Park, is of stone and brick construction and has five bedrooms, cedar joinery, high ceilings and an established garden setting.
Five liveable cottages provide additional accommodation options.
At the expected selling price of between $6 million and $7m, “Glen Barra” would deliver proven high-rainfall breeding country at a rarely seen cost of just $3500 to $4100 a cow area.
Contact Burke & Smyth Country, (02) 6766 1411 or MacCallum Inglis, (02) 6540 1200.
