A prized chunk of Wellington district mixed farming land will go under the hammer next month, ending more than a century of one-family occupation. “Merindah” is the 633 hectare (1566ac) property of Bernard and Janelle Sheridan, who are scaling down to a smaller holding closer to town. Mr Sheridan’s mother was Lorna Veech, whose forebears came to the Wellington district in the 1840s and whose combined “Mountain View” holdings at one stage stretched from the Bell River west to Walmer.
The country now for sale as “Merindah” was originally part of “Eurolie”, a Veech family property of some 1800ha before subdivision. Longtime Wellington agent Geoff Plasto that “Merindah” ranks as “one of the best pieces of land in the district”.
Situated 25 kilometres west of Wellington, in the Suntop locality, “Merindah” is described as level to gently undulating country of heavy red basalt-derived and red loam soils. The property is estimated to be 90 per cent arable and is mostly sown to lucerne and clover pastures, topdressed annually for the past 10 years with 150 tonnes of lime and 25 tonnes of single super.
Average rainfall is 600-650mm and the property is watered by Gundy Creek, a bore, two large dams with solar pumps, and five smaller dams.
Under present ownership “Merindah” has been managed primarily as a grazing operation, where bought-in Merino ewes are mated to Poll Dorset rams for prime lamb production.In normal years the property carries 2000 to 2200 ewes and turns off around 2400 lambs and 70 bales of wool, although ewe numbers are presently reduced to about 1700 (and hand fed) in response to the tight season.
About 100ha is normally sown to winter wheat for supplementary grazing and grain, and around 400 round bales of hay are put down each season when conditions are favourable. Structural improvements include a comfortable three-bedroom brick veneer home built in about 1980 and a four-stand shearing shed.
