It has been confirmed the breathtaking price paid for a prized grazing farm near Ballarat on Friday was in fact a district record.
Two families paid $10.7 million for just under a thousand acres of Yentrac which was sold at public auction after a century of ownership by the McCartneys.
A packed house at the Burrumbeet Soldiers Memorial Hall saw a top of $14,900 an acre paid for one of Yentrac's three lots.
Auctioneer of the lots and Elders Ballarat branch manager Sean Simpson today said he believed that $14,900 price was a district record.
Some stellar prices have been paid for cropping country in western Victoria over the past few years but generally grazing country has not received the same attention.
A whopping $14,700 an acre was paid at auction for 319ac of cropping country near Horsham back in April.
Yentrac in total was just under a 1000 acres taking in 398 hectares in the Ercildoune region.
Mr Simpson sold the land in three lots.
The Home block on 341ac sold for $13,000 and the third lot, The Flat on 417ac made $7000 an acre.
Lots one and three were sold to neighbours, the McKinnon family, while the second lot was bought by Ivan and Bruce Vowles of nearby Burrumbeet.
A big crowd attended the auction for the long-time local family's farm land.
Mr Simpson believed there were several reasons for the large crowd.
Firstly, the McCartneys were a well regarded family who had been farming in the district for a long time and people wanted to show their support.
Mr Simpson said people were also keen to judge their own property's possible value after several years of restricted public auctions through pandemic lockdowns.
"It's also a good excuse to have a catch up," Mr Simpson said.
Yentrac was described as a prime cropping and grazing property in a highly regarded district.
Mr Simpson described the land as being in "good heart" after a century of stewardship by the McCartneys.
Alan McCartney was in the hall for the sale and was congratulated by many after the auction's success.
The farm is about 33km from Ballarat and across the Western Freeway from Lake Burrumbeet backed by a wind farm on the hills.
Yentrac has a mix of solar and powered bores, rainwater and numerous surface dams servicing the property.
It also sits in a secure 635mm-685mm rainfall district.
The sale included the four-bedroom home, two-stand shearing shed and large undercover sheepyards.
There are a number of other sheds, cattle yards, crush, silos and dams on the lots.
Don't miss out on all the latest rural property news. Sign up here to receive our new and free weekly Farmonline property newsletter.
Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
