Historic NSW rural holdings go to auction in spring bonanza

“Drought or finance [problems] are not involved [in their decisions to sell],” he stressed.

Mr Nolan is marketing the 1184 hectare Narroogal on the Bell River, near Wellington in the state’s Central West region.

A renowned mixed-farming operation suited to prime lamb, cattle and crops, Narroogal was originally taken up by pioneer settler John Maxwell in 1837.

Narroogal includes a 100-year-old, five-bedroom Federation brick homestead, around 400 hectares of Bell River irrigation flats and extensive farming infrastructure.

The property has only changed hands four times in the past 180 years. The most recent sale was in 2017 when Orange-based James Jackson, owner of the Bell Hill Homestead, and Pinehill Pastoral director Keiran Horth bought it for $4.64 million.

Mr Nolan said he expected Narroogal to sell for between $5 million and $5.25 million when it goes to auction on November 12.

Hunter splendour

To the east of Narroogal in the upper Hunter Valley, Baerami House, with its Georgian style sandstone homestead on 322.5 hectares near Denman, is being sold by retired lawyer Angus Neil-Smith and his partner Sally Blaxland. They bought it in late 2002 for $1.5 million.

Baerami was first taken up in the 1830s by Emmanuel Hungerford, who later gifted it to his son Thomas, a well known pastoralist, politician and at one stage reputedly the country’s largest landholder. More recent owners include barrister and former NSW Legal Profession Disciplinary Tribunal chairman Douglas Staff, QC.

The grand two-storey homestead was constructed in 1875 from locally quarried sandstone and includes eight open fireplaces, four bedrooms and formal entrance with a red cedar staircase.

Baerami House will go to online auction on November 12 through rural property specialist Chris Meares of Meares & Associates and is expected to sell in a range of $3.75 million to $4.25 million.

“This is a unique opportunity to secure a special piece of Australia’s rural history,” Mr Meares said.

Generational change

In the state’s south-east, historic grazing and farming property Curry Flat, near Nimmitabel in the Monaro region, is being sold for the first time since settlement by the Jardine family, which has held it for five generations.

Selling agent Mr Nolan said price expectations were between $4 million and $4.4 million for Curry Flat, which covers 1262 hectares and is suitable for sheep, cattle, cash and fodder crops.

The original slab home, built by William Jardine in 1841, still stands on the property, though it has been superseded twice, with the current stone house built in 1866 now the main residence.

“The property offers excellent versatility in relation to agricultural enterprises, and is equally suited to cattle, Merino wool production and prime lambs,” Mr Nolan said.

Another property with more than 160 years of family ownership, Briar-Vale near the township of Harden in the South West Slopes, is also being taken to auction on November 12 by Webster Nolan and Elders Gundagai. The vendors are Kerry and Les Hawking.