A LACHLAN Valley irrigation farm with a long history of top-drawer vegetable production will go to auction later this month to end a family ownership dynasty spanning 116 years.
“Mulyan Park” at Cowra was acquired by the Twigg family in 1900 and for the past 40 years – until their retirement from active farming about five years ago – it has been owned and worked by Alan Bush (pictured top right) and his wife Gwen (nee Twigg).
Regarded as one of the district’s leading vegetable growers, Mr Bush was for many years a contract supplier of fresh cabbages to McDonalds and KFC, before easing back from intensive farming five years ago.
The Bushes are now ready to take retirement to the next stage and have listed “Mulyan Park” for sale with James P. Keady and Company of Cowra.
It will go to auction on September 28 with price expectations of $800,000 to $900,000.
Situated just under five kilometres from Cowra, “Mulyan Park” is a property of 33 hectares (81ac) of which 26ha is prime river flats of rich alluvial soils, rising to higher flood-free country of red loam.
The 26ha of alluvial country (now mostly sown to beardless wheat and lucerne) is laid out to spray irrigation with underground mains and when in full production can sustain three spray lines, each of 31 sprinklers, watering simultaneously.
Water is drawn from the Lachlan River under a 162 megalitre high security licence, and there is also the option of recommissioning an irrigation bore (currently unequipped) on the property for which a 202ML licence will be included in the sale.
The successful purchaser of “Mulyan Park” will have a two-week option to acquire the river licence at a price of $1800/ML, after which time it will otherwise be marketed separately.
An appealing feature of the property is the historic “Mulyan Park” homestead, built in 1907 for the Twigg family.
Set in established gardens overlooking the river, the double-brick federation homestead has a long central hallway, three or four bedrooms, separate lounge and dining rooms with wood fires and verandahs on three sides.