A WELL-KNOWN Condobolin district property which changed hands just over two years ago following 60 years of one extended family’s tenure is back in play.
“Bogandillon” was bought by the Davis family of Lake Cargelligo in April 2015, having been listed for private sale in 2014 with an asking price of $3.95 million.
It is now being offered for sale by tender (closing August 24), through Miller and James Real Estate of Temora, to free up resources for the owners’ fast-growing grain trading business, Lake Grain.
The 3431 hectare (8478ac) property is situated 35 kilometres south-east of Condobolin, where it joins – and partly incorporates - the natural ephemeral wetland known as Bogandillon Swamp.
Fed by overflow waters from Lake Cowal, the swamp has filled about once every 10 years on average, leaving a residue of moisture-rich subsoil and consequent cropping opportunities when waters recede.
Last year was one such year, and as a result the 800ha of this year’s winter crop that was planted on the swamp country has not been checked by the prevailing dry conditions.
Before being bought by the Davis family, “Bogandillon” was owned by Kate and Russell Symonds and Kate’s mother, Goldie Ridley, whose late husband Jack’s family had bought it in 1954.
It was previously owned by the Stevenson family, who bought it in 1924 from Robert Rand, who in turn had bought it in 1896 from Hope Brothers.
At that time the property (then somewhat larger) was shearing annually around 10,000 sheep, amply justifying the construction in 1902 of a new steam-powered 16-stand shearing shed.
The sturdy shed is still standing, and still in use – albeit now with six stands instead of 16 – but since being bought by the present owners the production emphasis has shifted from grazing to cropping.
Today the property is managed predominantly for broadacre cropping.
Under its previous ownership “Bogandillon” typically carried sheep and cattle equivalent to about 6000 DSE, supplemented by a modest program of winter cropping.
But today the property is managed predominantly for broadacre cropping, to take advantage of the productive mix of soil types, the gently sloping terrain and large paddock sizes.
Soils are predominantly red loam, with heavier grey clays on the swamp country and along the Bogandillon Creek which intersects the property.
This season’s winter crop program has 2000ha sown to wheat and 600ha to canola, all of it showing good yield potential given useful rain in the next few weeks.
SAMM ewes and lambs are run on the remaining grazing country.
Apart from the ephemeral Bogandillon Creek, the property is watered by underground pipe from the Euglo water scheme, which reticulates to tanks and troughs, plus dams. Average rainfall is 460mm.
Steel sheep yards are attached to the historic shearing shed, and other infrastructure includes cattle yards, machinery and hay sheds, workshop, grain shed and silos. There is a four-bedroom homestead, a manager’s residence and a cottage.
