Netley Station in its colonial-era heyday was a vast pastoral run extending west from the Darling River near Menindee almost to the South Australian border.
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Today the remnant of the original station property that retains the “Netley” name is a more modest – but still substantial – holding of 73,299 hectares (181,125ac).
It has had only three owners since being taken up in 1867 by Joseph Dunne, the third and latest being well-known Broken Hill businessman and pastoralist Gary Radford.
And now there’s an opening for a fourth owner, as Mr Radford is retiring from active pastoralism and has listed “Netley” for sale with Geoff Hodgins and Simon McIntyre of Landmark Harcourts.
Mr Radford bought “Netley” in 1987 from Weinteriga Pastoral Company, a syndicate of which S. Kidman and Co was a partner (and John Ayres, a later chairman of Kidman, did a stint there as manager).
Weinteriga in turn had bought the property – then about 150,000ha, with Darling River frontage – in 1948 from the estate of John Dunne. At its peak early last century, before resumptions for closer settlement started whittling it down, Netley Station carried some 65,000 sheep and 2000 head of cattle.
The present-day “Netley” has a rated carrying capacity of 22,500 DSE but for the past 12 months, in “caretaker mode” since the last manager left, it has been carrying only 2000 Dorper ewes and about 200 cattle.
These are also now being offloaded, and as a result (and following a 10-year program of conservative stocking), the property boasts a good cover of dry feed.
Mr Radford is no stranger to pastoralism, having previously owned “Comarto”, “Kudgee”, “Wonnaminta” and “Middle Camp” stations, in addition to his family’s main earthmoving business in Broken Hill.
Since taking over “Netley” in 1987, he has invested judiciously in fencing, livestock handling and water upgrades, to the point where a new owner will have minimal further demands on capital.
Situated 70 kilometres south of Broken Hill where it straddles the Silver City Highway, “Netley” comprises mostly flat to undulating soft red clay country with sandy rises and some crab-hole.
Average rainfall is 225mm and significant areas of the property benefit from periodic flooding of the several creeks that end within its boundaries.
“Netley” is exceptionally well watered by eight bores reticulating to 65 permanent watering points, and there will also be an option to connect to the Wentworth-Broken Hill water pipeline now under way.
Good stands of saltbush, bluebush and cotton bush are complemented by a mix of seasonal grasses, clovers and herbage.
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The four-bedroom main homestead, built in the Dunne era but extensively renovated in the past three years, is of double-brick construction with enclosed verandahs and ducted air conditioning.
It is flanked by a meat house and coolroom, a self-contained one-bedroom demountable and lockable 80m x 40m vehicle shed.
Working structures include an eight-stand shearing shed in good order with steel sheep yards and 12-room quarters, large workshop and two sets of steel cattle yards.
Recent sales of Broken Hill stations have ranged in price from around $120/ha to $145/ha (about $50-$60/ac), although “Netley” stands alone by virtue of its permanent water and excellent fencing.
