Two public auctions of farm land shows buying demand remains lively

An interested 50 people attended each of the two separate public auctions to again witness strong prices being paid for even small land parcels.

First up on Friday at 11am was 47 hectares (116 acres) of grazing country sold at the Joanna Hall on the South Australian/Victorian border.

A neighbour paid a handsome $955,000 for the three small paddocks - $8233ac ($20,319ha).

Two hours later a 129 hectare (320 acre) block went under the hammer at Wonwondah just south of Horsham.

Like the Joanna block, this was farm country which was mostly unimproved, no house or much in the way of shedding, but very handy add-on grazing or cropping blocks.

Three bidders pushed the price along at the Wonwondah Hall at 1pm until it was passed in at about $1.38 million or $4300ac (10,667ha).

MORE READING: Time to sell the farm, but we're keeping the house.

It sold immediately after the auction for an undisclosed amount outside the immediate area to a farm family from Dooen.

There was a lot of interest in both auctions.

People came out on a cold day not because of the land size but because farm sales are basically on hold during winter and people wanted to see whether the red hot demand from autumn is still the new normal.

With neighbours looking to add to their existing portfolio before rising interest rates spoil the party, or the dry seasons return, even small allotments will gather interest.

Joanna is 12 kilometres east of Struan and 26km southeast of Naracoorte, about 10km west of the border.

TDC Livestock and Property offered the grazing country fenced into three main paddocks with dams in two of them.

Included in the sale are two shipping containers.

These containers comprise the dongas which have been converted into a camp kitchen area set among young gums which have been recently planted in a small, fenced area.

The remainder is loamy, grazing country.

The property is leased until the end of December.

Agents said it would an "ideal allotment to add to an additional holding or for someone looking to get a start".

That afternoon's auction near Horsham was about 150km to the east in Grahams Bridge Road, Wonwondah.

This piece of versatile land has nice views of the Grampians and has primarily been a grazing block with some cropping, soil types with one large catchment dam.

It was sold by Harcourts Horsham.

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