- Location: South-west Queensland
- Agents: Greg Seiler, 0429 701 136 (Yambutta); Nick Dunsdon, 0418 559 090 (Wyenbirra); Tony Lilburne, 0458 562 550 (Autumnvale).
Graziers in NSW seeking serious expansion are being presented with a rare feast of investment opportunities following a spate of property listings in South-West Queensland.
In The Land's Domain section alone, a dozen such properties have been advertised in the past fortnight, helping to offset a relative paucity of large-scale offerings in NSW.
They range in size from a modest 2000 hectares for a Mitchell property to more than 40000ha for a station at Quilpie, and amount in combined area to about 200000ha (half a million acres).
Driving the latest flurry of QLD pastoral country listings is the dramatic seasonal turnaround the region is experiencing, coming after several years of debilitating drought.
Well-timed rains in February triggered an explosion of fresh pasture growth, and with most grazing properties seriously under-stocked, the country is awash with feed.
Consequently, the market is seeing something of a 'catch-up' of selling activity, and agents are looking to NSW - long a source of southern QLD pastoral investment - for buyers.
A factor helping attract southern buyers has been the widespread uptake of exclusion fencing in areas previously exposed to dingoes, making sheep a viable enterprise option.
Among the current offerings is the highly regarded Yambutta Station west of Quilpie, held since 2014 by Nick and Hayley Hughes.
The 41083ha property is being marketed by Nutrien Harcourts Bourke and Quilpie and will go to auction in Roma (and on-line) on July 13.
Agent Greg Seiler said the offering had drawn strong inquiry from NSW, stacking up for established graziers as an expansion opportunity into affordable breeding country.
Featuring a rich mix of native grasses, herbages, bluebush and mulga, together with flood-out areas, the property has estimated carrying capacity of 15000 DSEs, typically spread between sheep and cattle.
And with pastoral country in the region selling for around $400/DSE, that represents a substantial discount on prevailing 'inside country' rates.
Another current listing attracting NSW interest is Whyenbirra, a 14357ha property near Bollon being marketed by Nick Dunsdon of Ruralco GDL Real Estate.
Destocked, and responding well to 75mm of February rain, the property is owned by Louise Harris from Barraba, who with her late husband Wilf ran a stud and commercial Wagyu operation across three NSW and QLD properties.
The operation is now being downsized and Whyenbirra - used mainly for backgrounding weaners, but also for breeding - has been listed for online auction on June 18 with $4-$5 million expectations.
Fully exclusion fenced and incorporating 25 per cent of flood-out country, the property has carried up to 1500 cows for the present owners, and in past years has also run sheep.
Also listed by Ruralco GDL Real Estate is the Thargomindah property Autumnvale, a 40,700ha station fronting the Bulloo River and now awash with feed following 200mm of rain so far this year, 80 per cent of its annual average.
Owned by the same family for 37 years, and with a carrying capacity of 1200 breeders, Autumnvale is being offered with 400 young breeders, bulls and station plant by online auction on June 25.