- Location: Bigga
- Agent: Col Medway, 0428 481 243, LAWD.
Just weeks after the listing of one well-known local property, the Bigga district of the Southern Tablelands is preparing for another significant ownership change.
On offer this time is the 1273 hectare (3146 acre) grazing property Top Yarraman.
Top Yarraman is being listed by Col Medway of LAWD (Land, Agribusiness, Water, Development) for sale by expressions of interest.
It follows last month's listing by Ray White Emms Mooney of the nearby 1834ha property, Decca, which goes to auction next week.
Top Yarraman is the result of a division in 2016 of the larger (3640ha) property Yarraman, which was held since the late 1990s by Dutch businessman Ben van Dalfsen.
Previously Yarraman was the woolgrowing powerhouse of the late Garnet Webster of Binda, who - with his father, 'Gundy' Webster - presided over annual shearings there of 20,000 western-bred wethers.
The 2016 subdivision saw the bulk of the original property bought by Grant and Jenna Picker.
The Pickers are of the local superfine woolgrowing dynasty.
Mr van Dalfsen, who owns other country at Forbes, is now quitting the rest of his Bigga holding.
His move is presenting a major opening for a new investor in this tightly-held premium woolgrowing area.
Situated 14 kilometres north-east of Bigga and 69km from Crookwell, Top Yarraman comprises mostly elevated, undulating country of red podzolic and granite soils, with some rocky outcrops.
Of the total area, about half is considered arable, of which an estimated 340ha has been described as 'ideal' for direct drilling of pastures.
Three creeks intersect the property and about 250ha is timbered, leaving a balance of open, productive grazing country.
Average rainfall is just under 800mm, and apart from the seasonal creeks, the property's 24 paddocks are well watered by dams, most of which were de-silted last year during the drought.
Perennial native grasses are complemented by sub-clover and annual grasses including rye and soft brome.
All these pastures were topdressed with single super last year at a rate of 200kg/ha and are now sporting a big body of feed.
Previous applications of fertiliser have been modest and the country offers scope for ramping-up production (as the Websters did in years past) through further seeding and topdressing.
At its present level of pasture improvement the property has an estimated carrying capacity of 7000 DSE, which has been shared by a self-replacing Merino breeding flock and a Hereford herd.
Before the drought the property ran 3000 Merino breeding ewes, one-third of which were mated to Poll Dorsets, and up to 260 cows. Numbers are now reduced to 2500 ewes and 37 cows.
Well set up for its livestock enterprises, the property comes with a set of steel cattle yards to work 150 head, an adjoining main set of steel sheep yards with covered race to work 2000 head, and an elevated three-stand shearing shed with steel sheep yards.
Other working structures include a three-bay Colorbond machinery shed with lockable workshop, a steel hay shed and an 80-tonne silo.
A four-bedroom weatherboard homestead set on an elevated site has a recently renovated kitchen, open-plan living and dining areas and slow-combustion heating.
Offers around $6 million are expected for Top Yarraman when expressions of interest close on October 8.
