General News
15 September, 2024
Carrs Plains still 'pick of the Wimmera district' after 176 years
A price of $7500 per acre posted for the historic Wimmera farm.
A landmark former Wimmera sheep station is for sale for only the fourth time since it was settled in 1848.
Carrs Plains at Callawadda, between Stawell and Marnoo, is "the pick of a renowned farming district", according to selling agents.
A suggested price of around $7500 per acre has been suggested for the historic property which today takes in 1007 hectares (2488 acres).
This suggests the overall asking price is in the $18.6 million range.
Max Brown of Ray White Rural says the property has had only three owners since it was taken up by the Dennis brothers 176 years ago.
It is located about 30km from Stawell and 20km from Marnoo.
The Dennis family famously developed the Polwarth sheep breed at Tarndwarncoort near Colac.
They later purchased the rights to Carrs Plains on the Richardson River north of Stawell.
The manager of Carr's Plains (which was then a much larger holding) was Holford H. Wettenhall who married Mary, a daughter of Alexander Dennis.
It was on Carrs Plains that Mr Wettenhall further developed the Polwarth breed with a foundation flock he called "Ideals".
Today the historic property is held in multiple titles and has been operated successfully by descendants of R. B. Taylor who bought it in 1950.
Agents say the owners, Linda and Tony, have improved and managed the property to an exceptional standard.
It remains a highly productive mixed faming property of cropping and sheep grazing.
Carrs Plains has two stream frontages including a double frontage to the seasonal Richardson River and another double frontage to the seasonal Dog Trap Creek.
Around 900ha (2225 acres) has been managed with a rotational cropping/grazing program with the property being further developed to run a self-replacing Merino flock.
Included in the titles is a small holding comprising the former Elders Callawadda sheep saleyards bought after the end of district-based sheep sales.
The owners still use the steel yards which are in good condition with a capacity of about 5000 sheep, including load out options.
The property has a three-bedroom brick veneer home built in the 1980s.
Other farm improvements included a three-stand shearing shed built in 2018 (300 head capacity) with full kitchen and bathroom.
Adjoining the shed are large undercover sheep yards, closed in on two sides with the capacity for 1000 sheep.
There are also adjoining external yards holding 3000 sheep.
Nearby is a raised barn with an under-floor holding of another 300 head.
Other shedding includes hay shed (built in 2021), workshop, machinery shed, smaller hay shed, shearers quarters, dog runs and stable complex with chaff room, feed shed and float storage bay.
Each building has at least one tank with all but one being interconnected to provide pressurised water to all buildings excluding the large hay shed.
Grain storage facilities include two 82 tonne Ahrens silos on a concrete base including an automated aeration system.
Alongside is a Cyclone 80 tonne silo with conical base.
All buildings are monitored by an extensive digital CCTV system for security.
Water supplies are fed from the GWM pipeline into two 27,000 litre header tanks which gravity feed to all paddocks bar one and the river frontages with holding tanks and 4.5 metre concrete water troughs in most paddocks.
The entire Carrs Plains property is bounded on all sides by formed local roads including two main regional bitumen roads.
"This is a very tightly held location of significant and mainly multi-generational family owned grazing or cropping properties," Mr Brown said.
"It is undoubtedly a walk in and get going cropping and stocking opportunity of great merit," he said.
The property is for sale by expressions of interest closing on Wednesday, October 30.
For more information contact Max Brown from Ray White Rural on 0429 854772.