PICTURESQUE Walwa Homestead, south of Crookwell in New South Wales, is expected to draw a diverse pool of buyers to its combination of improved pastures, droughtproof water supply and renowned wool producing country, as well as secure supplementary income from 13 wind turbines.

The 1046-hectare property has been in the McCormack family for 37 years and is home to the well-known Walwa Merino stud, which has a history of producing high yielding, bright white wool and record sheep prices.

The property has a carrying capacity of 8,090 DSE and is currently running 300 Merino stud ewes and 100 rams as well as a self-replacing Merino flock of 1616 ewes, including 500 Merino ewes joined to Border Leicester Rams, plus 800 Merino wethers and 560 mixed sex hoggets. In addition to sheep, the property is running 200 breeding cows in a self-replacing system, and fattening steers to above approximately 500 kilograms liveweight.

Walwa Homestead is well serviced by a new five-stand shearing shed and sheepyards, two new 60-tonne Kotzur silos and additional silo capacity of 140 tonnes, machinery sheds, a workshop and hayshed. A large 110,000 litre tank supplies water for the shearing shed, new sheep and cattle yards and holding yards.

Owner Alan McCormack said the property is well watered by 27 surface dams, including a large feature lake ideal for recreational use, as well as a number of natural water courses and springs.

“It’s a very reliable property for water and rainfall and we’ve worked hard to drought-proof it,” Mr McCormack said.

“In 37 years, we’ve never had to use the water in the lake for livestock, even though we came close in the millennium drought of the 2000s.

“The property was owned at one time by the Merriman family of Merryville Merino stud, and Bruce Merriman said some of the best wool he’d ever seen came off Walwa. Two years ago our Merino ewes cut seven kilograms of wool and returned $100 per head.

“In 2020, before the property was divided up, we sold 800 first cross Merino-Border Leicester ewes at Yass for $420 per head and 14-month-old steers for $3000 per head at Wagga Wagga. It’s a good fattening place, made up of very soft country.”

Walwa Homestead features 540 hectares of improved pasture varieties including fescue, cocksfoot, rye grass and sub clovers and there is scope to sow a further 125 hectares. The balance of pasture comprises native perennial grass and clover.

For the past decade, forage cropping of 43 hectares of grazing canola and 34 hectares of oats has been incorporated into the paddock rotations, and applications of chicken manure, lime and fertiliser have further boosted productivity.

The topography is gently undulating and features rolling hills of red basalt and granite soils rising to a shale range, with elevation from 813 metres to 893 metres AMSL.

Lining the escarpment to the west are 13 wind turbines which are part of the Gunning Wind Farm of 31 turbines owned by Spanish construction and renewables company, Acciona. The paddocks beneath the turbines are still used for grazing and the current lease expires in 2038.

Historic homestead and high-quality accommodation

Central to the property is the historic six-bedroom, two-bathroom Walwa homestead built in 1913 on a rich basalt knob and set amidst established gardens with magnificent trees. There is an additional manager’s residence of four bedrooms and two bathrooms, and a three-bedroom cottage.

Rainwater tanks supply the homestead, manager’s residence and cottage, while water pumped from the dam is used to irrigate the garden.

Walwa Homestead is being offered for sale by Expression of Interest, through LAWD in conjunction with Delta Agribusiness closing 12pm (AEDT) 30 November 2023.

For more information contact LAWD Director, Tim Corcoran, on +61 407 893 935, Delta Agribusiness Branch Manager, Bill Frew, on +61 428 482 686, or Delta Agribusiness Sales Representative, Jim Guilfoyle, on +61 428 628 342.