Wallendibby, in southern NSW, listed by Nairn family

Wallendibby, the near 4,000 hectare Monaro district farm has been listed for sale with Chris Meares at Meares & Associates through a two day online auction commencing Monday May 18.

Set in southern New South Wales, Wallendibby is carrying 9,000 sheep and 336 cattle, 18km from Delegate.

The property has been developed over the past 30 years by the present owners, Sir Michael and Lady Sally Nairn who live in Scotland but visit Wallendibby for extended periods.

Its stone built two storey homestead dates back to the 1890. But the history of Wallendibby dates back to 1845 when the property was taken up by Scotsman Hugh McKay.

The property was then handed down through the generations until the 1930s when the western end including the homestead was sold to Harry Harding-Austin.

The McKays subsequently sold the eastern part of the property to the well-known grazing family the Ashtons in the 1950s.

The current owners took over the western end of Wallendibby from the Harding-Austin’s in 1981 and east from the Ashtons in 2000.

A further adjoining property Tingiringi was added in 1983. 

With its backdrop of the Kosciuszko and Merambego National Parks, Wallendibby is located in its own valley, along the Wallendibby, Sandy and Tingiringi Creeks, with the country rising from 795m above sea level at the homestead to its highest point of 1108m above sea level. 

The Nairn's hail from Kirkcaldy where descendent Michael Nairn opened his small handloom factory to make heavy canvas in 1828. When the patent for linoleum expired in the 1870s, Nairn switched to manufacturing the product with Kirkcaldy to become the world's main centre for linoleum production. By 1986 Nairn's was the only remaining producer in Kirkcaldy, and one of only three in the world.