NEIL and Margaret Dunbar’s highly productive 1240 hectare (3065 acre) Capella property Mitchell Park will be auctioned on June 22.
The EU accredited property is currently used to background and finish cattle as well as for grain and forage production. Mitchell Park has three water harvesting licences totaling 2040 megalitres.
There is 80ha of flood irrigation and 72ha of soft well drained red loam soils under a centre pivot. There is also 76ha of dry land cultivation. The balance is developed for grazing. A considerable amount of the property could be used for cropping if required.
The property has two freehold titles and a perpetual lease.
Mitchell Park is described as an excellent mix of brigalow, yellow wood scrub country boarded by heavy alluvial soils along the frontage to Retro and Sandy Creeks, rising to soft well drained red scrub soils. The country was originally timbered with bonewood, belah and soft native species.
The property has been selectively pulled and ploughed. It is now developed with stands of predominantly buffell pastures supported by a mixture of legumes.
Mitchell Park is divided into six main paddocks that are serviced by laneways and holding paddocks.
Improvements include a three bedroom home, cattle yards, sheds, silo, and silage pits.
The Dunbar’s bought Mitchell Park in 1982 following a six year stint growing cotton and other crops on a lease farm in the Emerald Irrigation Area in the late 1970s.
At that time it was a raw block of 95 per cent standing scrub, few internal fences and no structural improvements.
“When experience told us that water was a key ingredient and the block had two major creeks running through it we saw a long term future in obtaining flood harvester licences soon after purchase,” Mrs Dunbar said.
“Within six months a Lands Department officer arrived to inform us of the departmental development conditions that applied to the block and had done for the previous two owners.
“We were pleased to advise him of our development intentions and that he should call again in a year or two.
“How things have changed. Shed, house, scrub pulling, fencing, the usual development that I grew up with. However, interest rates of 18pc slowed irrigation development which didn’t start until the mid-1990s.
“After experience with cash crops, cotton, peanuts, beans and corn, we turned to grow corn for silage and adding a small percentage of other grain and minerals which proved to be a big winner in turning off consistent EU steers.
“With irrigation, silage is the main focus for year in year out production plus drought proofing the property.”
The decision to sell Mitchell Park came following a trip to Europe last year.
“Lifelong friends of ours encouraged us to travel to Europe last year with them, visiting family, beef properties and then a river cruise down the Rhine and Danube Rivers,” Mrs Dunbar said.
“This made us realise that there is another life to be enjoyed. Retirement may be a challenge but we have enjoyed our time in a good community, raising four children and now have seven grandchildren.”
Contact Virgil Kenny, 0427 334 100, Elders, or Tim Maguire, 0409 063 053, or Greg Hardgrave 0418 759 267, Maguires Real Estate.