River Murray District Merran Vale and Cooinda Park properties listed

Conjoined Merran Vale and Cooinda Park properties at Barham in the Murray River district are on the market through Ruralco Property agent Andrew Miller.

Vendors Ivan and Ann Chandler are set to retire.

They purchased the original Merran Vale property in 1980.

About eleven years ago the neighbouring Cooinda Park property came on to the market and was purchased by the Chandler’s.

The properties have a freehold area of 1,143 hectares plus further significant lease country.

A Poll Hereford and a Border Leicester stud has been run n conjunction with a merino sheep grazing operation.

A significant portion of the holdings, about 1,290 acres, are laid out to flood irrigation of which 900 acres were laser levelled using a local land forming contractor.

There is a 774 megalitre NSW general water sale entitlement.

The property has two pumps one electric, one diesel on the Little Murray River which adjoins the forest lease.

There is also another electric pump on Merran Creek.

The lease country is also significant including 99.4 hectares (or 245 acres|) that is held under perpetual lease.

Another 1,456 hectares (or 3,600 acres) of river country forest between the two holdings is held under an annual forest lease.

The Merran Vale-Cooinda Park aggregation has hay and machinery sheds and general shedding with a three-stand shearing shed, plus two sets of steel sheep and cattle yards.

The main Merran Vale homestead is a spacious three bedroom concrete home in a classic rural style with surrounding verandas that has recently undergone a $100,000 refurbishment including new roofing, kitchen, bathroom and services. 

It has substantial rainwater storage and presents as sound liveable family accommodation.

On the Cooinda Park portion is another three bedroom timber home in a rural setting that could suit a family member or as a manager’s residence.

Ruralco Property selling agent Andrew Miller said that the nearby village of Barham with a recent Census population of 1,100 plus with twin town Koondrook opposite across the River offer good services and an active local community with the two properties collectively known as 1019 Gonn Road having bitumen road access.

“This is a classic River Murray country property with strong livestock and cropping enterprises nearby, plus some recent new intensive horticulture activities established locally in recent years," he said.

“Vendor Ivan Chandler has worked on the land since he left school at fourteen years of age but he is now seventy six and has farmed strongly all his life overcoming some physical disabilities and he rightly says it’s time to retire.

“He reckons a few acres with a couple of cows will serve him well into the future.

“The auction of the conjoined Merran Vale and Cooinda Park properties at Barham presents a once in a generation opportunity for a new owner as either an agribusiness investment or diversification’ or for a strong farming family to acquire a unique large holding with unlimited potential in a strong well held district.

“I would access its inherent land value at well north of $1,000 an acre.

“With the auction scheduled for Thursday 7 September interested parties have plenty of opportunity to inspect, formulate their own plans and budgets ready to act on a farming opportunity of significance” Andrew Miller says.

The property will be offered at auction at the Barham Club on Thursday 7 September at 2 pm.