- Gloucester
- Agent: Sam Triggs, 0410 683 891. Inglis Rural Property.
One of the largest and most scenically spectacular cattle nursery properties of eastern NSW, Giro Station, has hit the market for only the fifth time in a century.
Giro is the 8014 hectare (19803 acres) Mid-North Coast hinterland property held since 1995 by Curracabundi Pty Ltd, a pastoral entity of the Sydney-based Carney family.
It has a rich history, having been owned earlier by the Mackay family from the Lower Hunter, the Field pastoral family and, in the 1960s, by film star Anne Baxter and her US rancher husband Randolph Galt.
In between the Galts and the present owners, it was held by Peter Carmichael who held regular on-property sales of his Hereford weaners.
Mr Carmichael sold up in 1995 - reportedly for around $7 million with some 3500 head of cattle included.
The stakes have risen somewhat since then, and Giro is now being marketed by Inglis Rural Property by expressions of interest with price expectations upwards of $19.5 million (this time, without any cattle!).
Initially the present owners ran Giro in conjunction with two other properties, Graces and Eastern Hills near Nowendoc, where calves were taken to grow out.
The Nowendoc properties were sold in 2008, since which time Giro has been leased, including a seven-year tenure by the Kilburnie Cattle Company of Tony Clift.
Kilburnie used Giro as a nursery property, running 1500-1700 Angus cows, the calves mostly trucked to Kilburnie's inland holdings or feedlot to grow and fatten.
The property was re-leased after Kilburnie's term ended but that expired late last year and the country is now unstocked, and carrying a large body of feed following subsequent rains.
Situated 54 kilometres north-west of Gloucester, 50km from Nowendoc and adjacent to Barrington Tops, Giro is about 4.5 hours drive from Sydney.
The country rises from alluvial river flats to open grazing hills and steeper timbered slopes.
Native grasses are complemented by introduced kikuyu and paspalum, and topdressed over many years.
Water is a feature with 946mm average rainfall and long double frontages to the Barnard and Myall rivers, fed by numerous creeks.
Cattle handling infrastructure is of a high order and comprises four new steel stockyard complexes, the main ones at the homestead having a covered work area with a Clipex pneumatic vet crush, five-way draft and working capacity for 800 head.
The other three sets are by National Stockyard, all featuring curved races, under-cover work areas and Bullock Pacifier vet crushes.
Nearly 50km of new fencing has been erected in the past 10 years and a fenced laneway runs the length of the property, feeding into the main cattle yards.
There is scope to lift Giro's carrying capacity beyond its present proven level of 1500-1700 breeders to upwards of 2000 with further investment in fertiliser, fencing, water and management.
The original station homestead, dating back to Giro's pre-war era, has been recently renovated and has a modern kitchen, air conditioning, new floor coverings and enclosed verandahs.
It is complemented by two staff cottages.
Expressions of interest close on July 22.
