Top farming properties in high demand

There have been limited sales in the region in the past few months, with growing optimism and confidence in the rural sector meaning people were opting to hold onto their existing properties, or looking to expand their farming business further.

Ray White Clare Valley principal Geoff Schell said the three auctions his company conducted in spring produced strong results.

“We sold a property at Hansborough, near Eudunda, that covered 198.4 hectares,” he said.

“It was mainly a cropping property, with a bit of grazing land. It had an older home on it that needed work and some basic farm shedding. 

“The auction attracted multiple registered bidders and we achieved a great result for the vendor.”

The property sold for $1.27 million, equating to $6400/ha. It went to a local farming family who had the next generation coming back onto the land and were looking to expand their enterprise.

Another auction was the ‘Welke’s’ property on Lakeview Road near Brinkworth. The property comprised 214.7ha of excellent cropping land, and sold for $1.25m or more than $5800/ha to a neighbouring family.

Their third rural auction in spring was ‘Ashleys’ on Patterson Road near Bundaleer. The 306ha property comprised quality hills grazing country with about 80ha of undulating arable land on its western portion, and sold for $1m or $3267/ha.

“We achieved a price well above the vendor’s expectations,” Mr Schell said. 

“Every auction we held in the spring made above expectations with pleasing numbers of registered buyers and all attracted multiple bidders. In all three auctions, the buyer was either a neighbour or a nearby farmer.”

Ray White Clare Valley has three properties coming up for auction in the Mid North in autumn – the 258ha ‘HVs’ and ‘Chimney’ – being offered as one lot – near Robertstown, 85ha ‘Farleys’ and 134.5ha ‘Bills’ on the Clare to Farrell Flat road.