Bill Saul doesn't want any real estate puffery when it comes to promoting his 6196-hectare property near Mitchell but he's clearly very proud to hand it over in an exceptionally tidy and well-grassed condition when it goes to auction next month.
The Saul family has owned Coolibah in the very heart of the Maranoa for 75 years but Mr Saul and wife Di are ready to retire, with ambitions of restoring a vintage Buick.
MAA Livestock & Property agent Seamus Filan said Coolibah was meticulously maintained and Mr Saul admitted to being a very neat and tidy person who was pleased that, even at 70, he had still been fit and well enough to keep the farm in good order.
In anticipation of the sale, Mr Saul had sold his cattle early.
"The farm was fully destocked six months ago to give the country a rest, and give the new owner the best chance when he takes over," Mr Saul said.
Mr Filan said Coolibah's carrying capacity was about 450-500 breeders or 700 dry equivalents and had centrally-located steel cattle yards set up with shade and plumbed water.
It could also run 3800 ewes and lambs or a mix of cattle and sheep.
The area has 450-600 millimetre summer dominant annual rainfall but Mr Saul said Coolibah's best feature was its soil.
"We have the Maranoa River and its flood-out country on the eastern side, in the middle of the place we have Brigalow Belah country surrounded by red loamy soils," he said.
"We've got good rad loamy soils that's all been pulled and burnt and regrowth is under control."
It meant even a few millimetres of rain brought a good pasture response and Mr Saul said a 35mm soaking a week ago had sparked new growth right across the property.
Mr Filan said Coolibah's pastures were mostly natural, Buffel grass, clover and herbages.
Coolibah has bitumen access and is located 87km south of Mitchell and 120km north of St George. It is 141km to the Roma saleyards and 30 m to the Dunkeld school and community centre.
The infrastructure included what Mr Filan described as "very tidy fencing", a machinery shed with power and water connected, plus a working shearing shed and sheep yards.
There are also two homes, the four-bedroom Queensland style homestead and two-bedroom Queensland-style cottage.
Coolibah will be auctioned on November 19 in Roma, which Mr Filan said would be a good test of the market.
"The last sales around the area made $400-$500 an acre," he said, "but that was 18 months ago and the market has changed a lot since then."
Contact MAA Livestock & Property agent Seamus Filan on 0428 462 312.
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Marian Macdonald
Writing for farmers in the Stock & Land, The Land, Queensland Country Life, Stock Journal and FarmWeekly, farming in Gippsland.
Writing for farmers in the Stock & Land, The Land, Queensland Country Life, Stock Journal and FarmWeekly, farming in Gippsland.
