Ray White South Australia is still celebrating the sale of the Handbury family's sprawling farm aggregation in the Mid North for more than $33 million.
Fresh from being interviewed on radio about the sale, agency principal Geoff Schell also put up the sold stickers at 'Saltbush Ag' with the help of his grandchildren.
Saltbush Ag's Booborowie/Leighton aggregation included six properties totalling 2852 hectares (7048 acres) now under contract to local farming families in South Australia.
Saltbush Ag is a family owned and operated business running Merino sheep, Wagyu cattle, cropping and a prime lamb feedlot.
It takes in farming land in the Northern, Mid North and South East pastoral districts of South Australia and the west Wimmera of Victoria.
Victorian-based pastoralist Paddy Handbury said they listed the properties for sale because of a change in strategy.
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Mr Handbury, the nephew of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, came to public attention with the family's purchase of the famous Collinsville Merino and Poll Merino stud and station near Hallett in 1995 from the South Australian Asset Management Corporation.
He is the son of the well regarded Hamilton businessman and philanthropist Geoff Handbury who died in 2019.
The Handburys bought the Booborowie/Leighton aggregation 27 years ago and decided to sell due to a change of strategy.
"When times are good, good properties come up and we have just bought three cracking properties closer to home," Mr Handbury said.
"So we're keen for our son Jack and his family to move down south while his family is still young and he can run Saltbush Ag from the expanded property aggregation around Lucindale."
Mr Schell said the sale offered "a very special opportunity" and there had been strong interest.
"I have lived and worked in this area for over 30 years and we had strong interest from all over the country, with more than 100 enquiries during the marketing campaign," said Geoff Schell.
"It was such a great opportunity to invest in such a well managed and large-scale farming operation in this highly regarded region of South Australia," he said.
Mr Schell conducted around 20 inspections and had received 19 written expressions of interest to purchase.
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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.
