A SUBSTANTIAL grazing aggregation just listed for sale in the Central West offers investors an opportunity to establish a large-scale cattle breeding and finishing operation on well-developed, high-performance country.
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On offer are the “Mt Hope” and “Beverley Downs” properties at Coolah, owned by the Welsh family and now for sale to allow the retirement of principals Michael and Barbara Welsh.
The properties, comprising 2681 hectares (6625ac) and 772ha (1908ac) respectively, have been listed for sale by expressions of interest with Ian Morgan Livestock of Quirindi and Collier Property Sales of Tamworth.
Prospective purchasers may lodge bids for one or both properties, with a closing date of September 23.
“Mt Hope” (which incorporates the separately titled “Mumbedah” of 1045ha) was bought by the present owners in 2001 from the Sydney-based Kwan family. They bought “Beverley Downs” from the Stacey family four years later.
Under present ownership the two properties are managed in conjunction as a cattle breeding, background and finishing operation based on a respected Hereford herd, augmented by seasonal backgrounding of bought-in weaners.
Young cattle are grown out on improved pastures and finished either on fodder crop or in the fully accredited 1000-head feedlot on “Mt Hope”, as seasons dictate.
Situated nine kilometres south-west of Coolah, it comprises a range of plateau, gentle slope and valley country of mainly red and black basalt soils, tending to sandy loams in the valley areas.
Under the present ownership the property has been extensively pasture improved with introduction of cocksfoot, phalaris and clovers and regular topdressing, while the 400ha of cultivation country has good stands of established consol lovegrass.
Water is a feature of the property, which enjoys a 650mm average rainfall, reticulated stock water from three bores to troughs in all paddocks, 20 dams and frontages to several creeks.
Although it previously ran both sheep and cattle, “Mt Hope” under present ownership is an all-cattle operation, typically carrying 1000 breeding cows and their replacements, with surplus progeny grown out on “Beverley Downs”.
The main homestead is an attractive four-bedroom brick residence built in 1984 in a garden setting with expansive valley views.
There is also a three-bedroom cottage. Working structures include a three-stand shearing shed, machinery shed and lock-up workshop, a feedlot complex comprising feed mills, silos and augers, and three sets of cattle yards.
The smaller “Beverley Downs” is situated 17km north of Coolah fronting the main road to Mullaley and comprises gently undulating to plateau country of black self-mulching and basalt soil types.
Of the 400ha of arable country, 150ha is under established lucerne for grazing and hay and a further 220ha is sown to winter grazing oats.
A three-bedroom weatherboard homestead is complemented by steel storage sheds and workshop, a three-stand shearing shed and yards, steel/timber cattle yards and seven silos with 1320 tonnes of storage capacity.
The property has traditionally carried a self-replacing herd of 180 cows, while serving as a backgrounding and finishing farm for weaners bred on “Mt Hope”, plus seasonal trading.
Annual turn-off is typically in the order of around 1000 yearling cattle.
