One of the more striking homestead properties of the Central West is back in play, following the decision by the owners of “Kiembah” at Eugowra to scale down after 12 years of occupation.
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Hugh and Lyn Ellis and son Henry moved from an irrigation farm at Bedgerebong to acquire the 989 hectare (2446ac) “Kiembah” in 2006 as a base for their livestock-oriented mixed farming operation.
It had previously been held by Rod Marr and his son Chris, who operated the Gererdan Poll Dorset stud, and before that it was home to the Red Deer farm of Sydney-based architect, John Andrews.
A lasting monument to the Andrews tenure is the unusual homestead, designed and built by the owner in 1981, which won a gold medal in the 1983 Royal Australian Institute of Architects annual awards.
Now the property has been listed for sale by Kim Watts of Ray White Forbes and it will go to auction on October 26. Occupying a valley six kilometres north of Eugowra and 42km from Forbes, “Kiembah” is a sheltered property of undulating to hilly country with mostly granite loam soils and areas of alluvial flats.
Of the total area, about 460ha is considered arable, with a further 200ha of lightly timbered grazing country and 330ha of timbered hills. Timber is predominantly kurrajong, box and red gum.
About 80ha of country is sown each year to winter cereal crops and introduced pastures including lucerne, sub-clover, serradella and Premier Digit, complementing the native grasses and herbage.
Country now under sown crop or pasture includes about 144ha of lucerne, 77ha of cereal rye and 7ha of Premier Digit.
This program typically supports a stocking mix of about 1200 Merino ewes mated to Poll Dorset rams, and 80 Angus cows, reduced only recently (due to the drought) to 500 ewes, 25 cows and their respective followers.
Average rainfall is 600mm and the property is watered by 34 dams including a 22 megalitre dam from which a solar pump directs water to two concrete tanks for reticulation to paddock troughs. The property is subdivided into 40 paddocks feeding into tree-lined laneways, with most of the cleared country (about 440ha) enclosed by deer-grade fencing.
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As mentioned earlier, a highlight of “Kiembah” is its award-winning homestead, built to a pavilion design with corrugated iron cladding, vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows. It is surmounted by an energy tower and incorporates breezeways as elements of its “passive energy” design aimed at heating and cooling the house by natural means.
Set in landscaped grounds with an in-ground pool, tennis court and ornamental lakes, the open-plan, two-bedroom home has a central fireplace, slate floors, exposed timbers and ducted air conditioning. It incorporates a double garage and is complemented by a two-bedroom manager’s residence and three guest cottages.
Among the main working infrastructure is a steel stud complex dating from the property’s previous role, incorporating timber-lined yards, overhead walkways, hydraulic crush and scales and vet room. Other working structures include a three-stand shearing shed with steel, bugle-design sheep yards and steel cattle yards.
