Irrigation openings in strategic locations

Both properties are flood-free with versatile red/brown alluvial soils, generous Upper Lachlan groundwater entitlements plus town water, and excellent working infrastructure.

Ray White Emms Mooney will offer at Bathurst on March 20 the separately-owned properties Cedarville at Gooloogong and Brungalong at Canowindra.

Cedarville is a 119 hectare (295ac) all-arable property owned by the McEvilly dairying family from the South Coast, who bought it as a larger holding in 1999 to grow dairy fodder, and are selling about half the original area.

After buying the property the owners developed three centre pivot sites, one of which is on the part of the farm they are retaining, while the other sites are on the land for sale.

The sites are connected by an 870-metre PVC underground main to an equipped bore on the section of the property being retained by the vendor.

A 200-megalitre Upper Lachlan Zone 3 groundwater entitlement comes with the property, and a new owner will have the options of either sinking a new bore, or negotiating a share arrangement with the vendor for the existing bore.

The developed pivot site has been sown to lucerne for six years, producing high yields, although half the site is now growing forage sorghum (pictured with listing agent Josh Keefe).

Cedarville is subdivided into six main paddocks, and built improvements include a three-bedroom brick home (currently leased under a non-binding arrangement) and a four-bay steel hay shed.

Interest in Cedarville has been strong from dryland farmers wanting a reliable fodder/fattening adjunct to an existing property.

Brungalong (pictured) is a somewhat different proposition, being a former vineyard established in 1998 by Mudgee-based Gooree Park Vineyards primarily to grow white winegrape varieties.

Production was scaled down during the winegrape glut that subsequently saw many vineyards close, and now the owners are selling Brungalong to focus on their two main Mudgee vineyards.

Situated about 14km from Canowindra, Brungalong is an all-arable property of 162ha (401ac), with three irrigation bores and a 639ML high-security Upper Lachlan Zone 2 groundwater entitlement.

The property is set up for irrigation with 2.6km of PVC mainline, and all three bores reticulate waste or unused water to a 45ML turkey-nest storage dam.

Abundant built infrastructure includes two large hay sheds, as well as two machinery sheds with workshop and an office (or accommodation) with NBN connection and ducted air conditioning.

The property is situated in an intensive irrigation area where neighbouring farms grow vegetables, lucerne, grapes and olives, or fatten prime lambs.

Brungalong offers a new owner an opportunity to remove the vines and utilise the farm and water entitlement for another enterprise.

Taking into account the cost of vine removal, the property is expected to sell within a range of $1.5-$2m, nearly half of which is the market value of the water alone.