With ambitions to downsize their farm portfolio, Wayne and Helen Thomas have put the sprawling Old Koomooloo station up for auction.
Old Koomooloo is a famous name in South Australia's rich pastoral history taking in a lease of 35,000 hectares (86,485 acres) well east of Burra.
The Thomas family bought the station in 2006 to run their commercial Merino flock on ground which has had few owners since 1868.
Agents from Elders Real Estate have listed Old Koomooloo for auction at the Burra Community and Sports Club on Friday, March 10 at 1pm.
Selling agent Adam Chilcott said it was difficult to put an expected price range on the sale.
He said at auction, the market will decide.
Similar size properties have sold in recent years anywhere from $2.2 million to more than $4 million.
But Mr Chilcott said seasonal conditions influenced past sales.
Nearby, Ray White sold Nolan's on its 6430ha (15,889 acres) at auction in 2021 for $2.2 million.
Mr Chilcott said Old Koomooloo had a rich history of production and recent focus on an elite fine wool operation.
"The opportunity now exists to operate a conveniently located and easily manageable station."
Still only 235km from Adelaide, the property has a maximum stocking rate of 5500 sheep.
Some may be wondering why it is called "old"?
The station was named Koomooloo when first established by Thomas Warnes in 1868.
A few decades later, Mr Warnes established a larger station nearby, which he also called Koomooloo, hence the original station became the "old".
The history of the Country Women's Association in SA is also intertwined with Old Koomooloo.
Mr Warnes' sons continued grazing the two big stations and their wives (Mary and Deborah) would famously ride pushbikes along sandy tracks to meet for tea in the scrub.
History says it was partly this habit which inspired Mary Warnes MBE to found a CWA branch at Burra in 1926.
In 2015, then state president Linda Bertram shed further light on those early days.
"It started in Burra with Mary Warnes who could see women coming into the markets with their husbands," Mrs Bertram said.
"There was nowhere for women to go after they'd finished their shopping so Mrs Warnes set up somewhere for women to meet for friendship."
After the Warnes' ownership and now the Thomas family, Old Koomooloo is looking for a new owner.
A north-south pipeline connects most dams which service most of the station.
Its 16 dams are today holding large amounts of water, the majority are fenced for livestock handling.
Agents say the station has been conservatively stocked and managed during owner's tenure who have been earning income from goats as well.
It is well fenced and improvements include a homestead and shearers quarters, workshop and three-bay garage.
It has four-stand, raised board shearing shed with yarding for about 3000 sheep.
The northern holding lends itself to heavier scrub and canopy, while there is blue bush and open grazing to the south.
Agents say an opportunity "may exist" for the successful bidder to acquire livestock, plant and equipment.
For more information contact Mr Chilcott on 0447 710484, Phil Keen on 0438 308650 or Matthew Ward on 0400 703025.
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Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
