A 490-hectare (1225 acre) picturesque property that can carry 1000 ewes on lush clover pastures near Orange was passed in at auction on the weekend.
Morella, owned by Trent and Angela Frazer, is now up for sale, advertising an asking price of $2.5 million.
McCarron Cullinane agent Brian Cullinane said near offers would be considered.
"It's no fault of the place that it didn't sell, Morella represents value with its carrying capacity and in its current condition," Mr Cullinane said.
"It's ready to go, ready to make money.
"It's got plenty of grass on it, plenty of water - as a lot of other places have to right now that's how the season is - but it does look particularly well and you could move straight into it and it's a going concern."
The Frazers are selling to help with succession plans and will move to the original family property a little further down the hills.
The couple and their children have owned the lofty property at Euchareena, 55 kilometres from Orange, for three years but had leased Morella for six years beforehand.
The Frazers routinely joined about 1000 cull Merino ewes from their other family property with Dorsets for store lamb production.
They've since swapped to wethers, aiming to stock the 490ha (1225 ac) property with 1800-2000 head at a time.
Rainfall and pastures are the twin secrets of that productivity.
Morella's 750-800 metre altitude contributes to the 825-850 millimetre average rainfall.
About two-thirds of the pastures are improved, with the well-grassed hills densely covered in rye, cocksfoot, clover - strawberry, subterranean and valencia, phalaris and native grasses that include microlaena.
The soils in the valleys and lower hills are grey loams and there's some slate in the higher outcrops.
A regular soil testing and fertiliser application program maintains fertility and Mr Frazer said the electric exclusion boundary fence was effective against kangaroos and feral animals.
Internally, the farm has eight well-fenced main and another four small holding paddocks.
McCarron Cullinane agent Brian Cullinane said the varied topography, which ranges from pretty valleys to scenic hills, was a strength as the very serviceable network of ridgeline tracks offered good access across the property and the valleys provided shelter.
Shade and shelter is also offered by the Kurrajong and box trees sprinkled across Morella, along with strategically-positioned shelterbelts.
Shelter is a feature of the three-stand shearing shed, too, which Mr Frazer described as being well ahead of its time.
It has a kitchen, dining, shower and toilet facilities and a large storage area with enough room underneath the shed to keep 800 sheep dry during shearing.
There are very workable sheep yards with a separate loading facility and a second set of holding yards in the centre of the property.
And, although it's set up for sheep, Mr Frazer said Morella would also suit cattle.
The plentiful rainfall is harvested in one or two dams in each paddock, some of them fed by springs.
A new bore fills a 20,000 litre tank for the house garden and troughs, bolstered by a new steel 110,000 litre tank and 30,000 litres more at the sheds.
Morella's four-bedroom plus office homestead is nicely set up, too.
Large windows drink in the views and the expansive open-plan living area flows seamlessly to an alfresco deck overlooking the pool and gardens.
For horse lovers like Ms Frazer, there's an arena and undercover tacking up area.
Contact McCarron Cullinane agent Brian Cullinane on 0418 637 338.
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Marian Macdonald
Writing for farmers in the Stock & Land, The Land, Queensland Country Life, Stock Journal and FarmWeekly, farming in Gippsland.
Writing for farmers in the Stock & Land, The Land, Queensland Country Life, Stock Journal and FarmWeekly, farming in Gippsland.
