A 2400-hectare aggregation of dryland cropping country in the sought-after Merrigal region of central west NSW offers a compelling option for grain growers and livestock producers keen to acquire quality arable land at a reasonable price.

Vendors James and Sally Burge have been operating ‘Glenmuir’ and ‘Tickatoo’ as a single enterprise remotely from their Cootamundra base 400km away, and are offering the properties for sale as a whole or as separate assets.

“We bought ‘Glenmuir’ in early 2020 and ‘Tickatoo’ a couple of years later because I knew the district – I’d carted grain for Glenmuir’s previous owners – and we saw the opportunity to acquire high-quality dryland cropping land, that offered good value,” Mr Burge said.

“The properties are only 7km apart and serviced by a Council road – the advantage is that they’ve been set up to operate as a one man show, so they’re very easy to run remotely or on your own.”

Conveniently located, the properties are 26km north of Collie, 31km southwest of Gulargambone and 105km north of Dubbo, with an average annual rainfall of 467mm for the region.

‘Glenmuir’ comprises 1,537 hectares of which 1,498 hectares (97%) is arable, while ‘Tickatoo’ is 849 hectares of which 783 hectares (92%) is arable. The cropping rotation includes wheat, canola, barley and lupins, with 1200ha currently planted to wheat, 600ha to lupins and 450ha to canola.

‘Glenmuir’ is well appointed with a comfortable homestead including in-ground pool, grain shed (1,000 tonnes), silos (320 tonnes), machinery shed, chemical storage, four-stand shearing shed, and steel sheep and cattle yards, with water infrastructure including a bore and reticulated stock water system. ‘Tickatoo’ features a machinery shed and silo complex (940 tonnes) and is serviced by bore water for stock and spraying.

LAWD Senior Director, Col Medway, said while the properties had been operating as a dryland cropping business over the past ten years, they had historically grazed sheep and cattle, and had the potential to integrate livestock into operations again.

“The quality of ‘Glenmuir’ and ‘Tickatoo’ is evident in the fact that James and Sally operated them remotely, with casual staff at peak times of sowing and harvest, and they offer high-quality arable land at a rate more affordable than some other regions,” Mr Medway said.

“We anticipate the market will see value at around $3,500/ha, making these properties a compelling option for buyers.”