Only three families have owned the Central West property now for sale, Glenmuir, since it started life as part of the sprawling Merrigal Run 175 years ago.
The first settler was Scottish-born Alexander McGregor, who took up the run, situated near present-day Armatree, with his wife Catherine and their two daughters in 1845.
One of their daughters, Ann, married John Jones, a former convict who had been assigned to McGregor and who in due course took over Merrigal, where he and Ann raised five sons and five daughters.
The country was later divided between the sons, with a portion called Back Merrigal being allotted to Albert Edward Jones, who in 1894 married Grace Bell from Scotland, with whom he had eight children.
Among these was a son, Ronald Bell Jones, who retained a portion of Back Merrigal called Glenmuir when the rest was sold off in 1964.
Ronald Jones, a bachelor, died in 1981, whereupon the property was managed for some years by a neighbour, Ron Herbig, who owned another portion of Back Merrigal, and later bought Glenmuir.
And it was from his son, Gary, that the present owner, Michael O'Brien (initially in partnership with his two sisters), bought Glenmuir in 2007.
Glenmuir is owned now by Michael and his wife Michelle, who are reluctantly selling to relocate closer to medical facilities and have listed it for private sale at $4.7 million with Rural Sales Australia.
Situated 37 kilometres south-west of Gulargambone and 110km north of Dubbo, Glenmuir is a property of 1525 hectares (3766ac) currently managed as an all-cropping concern but well suited to mixed farming.
Timbered initially with rosewood, myall, belah, kurrajong, box and pine, the property is now cleared (apart from 8km of fenced treelines) for efficient broadacre farming.
Soils range from self-mulching black clays to red loams, with the paddocks fenced according to soil type in machinery-friendly long runs (with a spray/plant GPS difference of just 2.5 per cent).
Crop rotations have been established according to soil type and district trial results.
The normal rotation is 50:50 wheat and pulses (lupins and faba beans), although chickpeas, canola, linseed and barley have also been grown successfully.
Wheat has yielded up to 4.3 tonnes/ha on the O'Briens' watch, and lupins 2.4t/ha, while average yields (pre-drought) have been 3.1t/ha for wheat and 1.5t/ha for lupins.
During the past three drought years wheat has averaged 0.9t/ha, lupins 0.4t/ha and faba beans 0.9t/ha.
Yields are consistently above the district average, and every year (even 2019) producing a harvest.
The coming winter season is already showing promise, with the soil having a full moisture profile following 136mm of rain so far this year and a fallow spray application.
Average rainfall is 500mm and the property is watered by a bore and piped reticulation to the homestead and all paddocks.
The four-bedroom weatherboard homestead has extensive gauzed verandahs, reverse-cycle air conditioning, Norseman wood heating and a heated in-ground pool with glass-fenced, paved deck.
Extensive working improvements include 460 tonnes of aerated silo storage, machinery and grain sheds, as well as a concrete-floored workshop.
Other improvements include steel sheep and cattle yards and a four-stand shearing shed incorporating a two-bedroom workers' accommodation section.
- Agent: Patrick Hurley, 0427 487 539. Rural Sales Australia, Tamworth.
- www.domain.com.au