The latter-day home of one of Australia’s leading cattle studs has emerged as one of several “top drawer” property offerings in southern NSW to hit the market in the lead-up to Christmas.
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Elders Albury has listed for sale by tender “Forest Vale” at Holbrook, previously well known to many as the home of the former Injemira Hereford stud of the late Ian Watson and his wife Helen.
Owned today by their son Andrew and his wife Anna, “Forest Vale” was acquired by the Watsons in the 1990s to accommodate the expanding needs of their stud.
The stud was previously based at “Mt Annan” in the Wantagong Valley.
Today “Forest Vale” is operated as a highly developed commercial cattle enterprise, with a EU-accredited herd of 950 Angus/Hereford breeders producing steers that are grown to feedlot weights.
The listing for sale of “Forest Vale” came just days before last week’s announcement of another south-east NSW pastoral gem - “Bundarbo” at Jugiong - hitting the market (see story inside domain lift-out).
Situated 19 kilometres north of Holbrook fronting the Hume Freeway, “Forest Vale” is a property of 1137 hectares (2809ac) in two sections linked by about 2km of sealed road.
The property was originally part of the 70,000-acre “Kinross” aggregation founded on the Billabong Creek in 1867 by Scottish-born Alexander Ross and later divided between his sons.
The “Forest Vale” portion remained in Ross family ownership until bought by the Watsons, and is being sold now to enable Andrew and Anna to pursue another cattle-related venture.
With frontages to the Billabong Creek and its tributary Forest Creek, the property comprises about 50 per cent alluvial flats, rising to gentle slopes of red loam.
An estimated 95pc of the property is arable, and pasture improvement during the Watsons’ ownership has seen most paddocks sown to a productive mix of phalaris, ryegrass, clovers and lucerne.
Pastures are supplemented by annual fodder or forage crops, and regular soil testing is conducted to determine optimal application rates of lime and super.
Remnant shade and shelter trees of yellow box, red box and red gum dot the landscape, supplemented by some 70,000 Landcare plantings in the past 15 years.
The property is well fenced into 51 main paddocks serviced by all-weather central laneways.
Average rainfall is in the 675-700mm range.
The property is also watered by its creek frontage and more than 20 dams and a reticulation scheme fed by three bores.
A feature of “Forest Vale” is its stately, four-bedroom, double-brick homestead, built in 1902 and fully renovated by the present owners.
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Set amid landscaped gardens with in-ground pool and tennis court, the home has formal lounge and dining rooms.
It has a large, modern kitchen, five fireplaces, ducted air-conditioning and verandahs on three sides.
It is complemented by a three-bedroom manager’s residence.
The extensive working infrastructure includes four sets of steel cattle yards, separate weaning yards and Proway sheep yards.
There is a new machinery shed and workshop, haysheds to hold 1200 big bales, and silage pits.
“Forest Vale” is for sale by tender, with recent sales of comparable land in the area indicating a likely selling range upwards of $11,250/ha ($4500/ac) when offers close on December 14.
