PROPERTY OF THE WEEK
- Boorowa
- Agent: Chris Malone, 0401 968 447. Ray White Rural NSW.
A neo-colonial Georgian-style mansion surrounded by architect-designed landscaped gardens is certainly something away from the ordinary in the long-settled Frogmore district.
But it's one of the features that makes the recently-listed Neringah a trophy property, and one likely to draw buyers from the top end of town as well as agricultural investors.
Neringah is the 875 hectare (2162 acre) grazing property of Malcolm and Raylee Williams, who branched out from their inner-Sydney home base in 2000 to develop a model agri-lifestyle holding.
Malcolm Williams is a businessman who, among other things, was responsible for bringing Portaloos to Australia in 1976 through his company, On Site Rentals Australia.
The property now for sale as Neringah is an aggregation of three adjoining properties purchased in 2000, and extensively developed into an efficient, integrated whole over the ensuing 20 years.
Having now purchased a smaller property closer to Sydney, the Williams are reluctantly selling Neringah and have listed it with Ray White Rural NSW for on-line auction on June 12.
Situated at Frogmore, 26 kilometres north-east of Boorowa and about 3.5 hours' drive from Sydney, Neringah is an undulating to hilly property of mostly gently rolling pasture country.
Soils range from loamy red basalt in the east to granite further west, with about 240ha of previous cultivation country (on which a 20ha crop of oats was recently planted) and scope for more.
Pastures are a mix of native species (including microlaena, red grass and prairie grass) and introduced phalaris, ryegrass, clovers and lucerne, aerially topdressed as required.
This supports a stocking rate estimated at 6500 DSE, although the present owners with off-farm income have always stocked more conservatively, to which the land today bears testament.
Prior to the drought, and the more recent pre-sale destocking, the property typically carried 1250 crossbred ewes, rearing prime lambs, and 160 Poll Hereford breeders, selling calves as weaners.
Average rainfall is 640mm (with 310mm received so far this year) and the property is amply watered by two bores reticulating to tanks and 21 troughs, plus dams and a creek.
The elegant two-storey homestead, built in 2003 of rendered double brick, has four bedrooms, formal and informal living areas with study, guest wing and studio.
Sited to capture distant views, it is surrounded by architect-designed landscaped gardens containing ornate rock walls and hedging, a bocce court and private maze.
Set apart from the homestead, close to the working structures, is one of the property's original homesteads which has been recently renovated and is serving now as the manager's residence.
Farm infrastructure has undergone substantial upgrading during the present owners' tenure.
It includes a new three-stand shearing shed with steel sheep yards and covered race, steel cattle yards with new Clipex vet crush, hay and machinery sheds and workshop.
The property is divided into 28 main paddocks, serviced by tree-lined laneways.
All of the internal fencing and most of the boundary has been renewed in the past 20 years.
Having purchased elsewhere, the vendors are said to be ready to meet the market on the day.
Recent district sales suggest a likely value range of $4-$5 million on a DSE basis, but without taking account of Neringah's 'wow' factor.