An exquisite house and land package with links to Inverell’s founding father will go under the hammer next month in what will rank as one of the district’s most prestigious recent offerings.
The 160 hectare (400ac) property, owned by Robin and Cynthia Archer, is being marketed as “Inverell Station Homestead” by Bob Jamieson Agencies of Inverell and Webster Nolan Real Estate in Sydney.
It has a direct lineage to the original Inverell Station that was taken up in 1842 by Alexander Campbell, adjoining land he had taken up a few years earlier for his Hunter Valley employer, Peter Macintyre.
Situated just north of Inverell (which sits on part of the original station) fronting the Macintyre River, the property boasts a rich mix of top-drawer country, executive-style living and a strategic location.
The homestead, originally named “Goodwood”, was built in the 1960s by Sedley Body (a fourth-generation descendant of Alexander Campbell) after he had inherited half of Inverell Station.
Body sold most of his Inverell Station (about 1760ha) in the early 1990s to local meat baron John McDonald of Bindaree Beef, retaining just the 2ha “Goodwood” homestead portion.
And in 2006 it was these two properties – Inverell Station and its adjoining “Goodwood” block – that caught the eye of the Archers from Tasmania, who were then looking to relocate to NSW.
After two years of searching for their ideal property mix, they bought Inverell Station to set up their Angus breeding and fattening enterprise, and added on “Goodwood” as their home-to-be.
Then commenced a 12-month project to redesign, renovate and extend the 40-year-old homestead, which they renamed “Inverell Station Homestead” in keeping with its new role.
Health problems and advancing years led to the Archers deciding in 2014 to sell the bulk of the property, retaining just a parcel of prime river country and the homestead complex.
They sold off about 1600ha as Inverell Station to Bill and Maggie Fanning from Cunnamulla, who continue the Angus breeding tradition on the property.
And now the Archers are selling their remaining “Inverell Station Homestead” block in order to retire, and it goes to auction in Sydney on June 27 with price expectations of $3 million to $3.2m.
Described as nearly all arable, with basalt flats rising to gentle slopes of red loam soils, the property has been managed conservatively by the owners for lucerne production and cattle trading or agistment.
In full production, it is estimated the property would comfortably support a fattening operation of up to 300 head, or 100 breeding cows.
It is also well suited to a stud, or cropping enterprises.
Average rainfall is 750 millimeter and the property has a two kilometre frontage to the Macintyre River, from which water is pumped to header tanks and troughs.
The two-story, five-bedroom brick homestead is set on an elevated site in private, garden-fringed surrounds which also include a two-bedroom guest cottage, in-ground pool and tennis court.
Homestead features include polished blackbutt timber floors, modern kitchen with spacious, open-plan family room, formal lounge and dining rooms, ducted air conditioning and wood fires.
Other structures include a four-bedroom brick manager’s residence, steel cattle yards, machinery shed and workshop.
- Contact: Bob Jamieson, 0428 669 313; David Nolan, 0447 278 236.
