Trophy Farm

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Nicole Kidman, the actress, has given Vogue a video tour of her NSW Southern Highlands retreat, Bunya Hill. It was the latest of the international magazine's 73 Questions series.

The actress and her country music star husband, Keith Urban snapped up <a href="https://video.vogue.com/watch/73-questions-inside-nicole-kidman-s-australian-farm" target="_blank">Bunya Hill</a>, a 45-hectare black Angus cattle stud at Sutton Forest, for $6.5 million in 2008.

Long hidden behind hedging, the Sutton Forest property, with its magnificent 1878 Georgian mansion and impressive pedigree, has wide sandstone verandas, pressed-metal ceilings, a carved cedar staircase and 10 marble fireplaces.

It has the proportions and details that made it worthy to be leased as a vice-regal rural retreat for Lord Augustus Loftus, a governor of NSW in the colonial 1880s.

Bunya Hill was sold by Peter Coad, head of global markets at National Australia Bank, and his wife, Helen, through Sothebys and Drew Lindsay Real Estate. 

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5897]

It is set in the Sutton Forest village located in New South Wales precinct where Hume Coal now intends to build an underground coal mine.

Details of the plans were advised last week, submitted to New South Wales Government as a first step in the approval process.

The aim is to extract coal from the Wongawilli coal seam in the Sutton Forest region, while protecting the ground water and the environment, but most locals, including the celebrity couple have huge apprehension.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6284]

Surface infrastructure is proposed to be developed on predominately cleared land owned by Hume Coal. Over half of the remaining sections of the project area are scheduled to continue to be, used for livestock grazing, small-scale farm businesses and hobby farms. There are a small number of vineyards present, principally Cherry Tree Hill Wines, and Eling Forest, with the Belanglo State Forest covering the north-western portion of the project area and contains introduced pine forest plantations, areas of native vegetation and several creeks that flow through deep sandstone gorges.

The project area is traversed by several watercourses including Oldbury Creek, Medway Rivulet, Wells Creek, Wells Creek Tributary, Belanglo Creek and Longacre Creek, all of which ultimately discharge to the Wingecarribee River, located around 2 km north of the project area. The Wingecarribee River’s catchment forms part of the broader Warragamba Dam and Hawkesbury-Nepean catchments. Medway Dam is also adjacent to the project area. 

Hume Coal has undertaken extensive groundwater investigations to characterise the existing hydrogeology of the project area and surrounds, including groundwater depth, quality, flow and uses. Investigations are ongoing, though the 65 groundwater monitoring points that have been established to date, comprising mainly purpose-built groundwater monitoring bores, as well as vibrating wire piezometers.

Project director, Greig Duncan stated that the company had commenced <a href="https://www.humecoal.com.au/hume/assets/File/Home%20page%20PDF%20and%20images/J12055_SEARs%20application%20supporting%20document_FINAL_170715.pdf" target="_blank">detailed environmental and geological studies</a> as well as extensive engineering design analysis to make sure the local community received the best outcome.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6876]

It is noted that, to avoid any perception that the Hume Highway could be affected by future, longterm ground movements, no mining will occur beneath these features, other than development of underground roadways (first workings development) required for access.

The planned coal mine will mine 35% of coal from the available reserves and leave the rest underground to hopefully provide long-term ground stability and reduce impacts on groundwater.

It is expected to create 400 jobs for the local community.

Greig Duncan assured he project will not involve coalbed methane, opencast or longwall mining.

"It will have no impact on town water or surface water such as dams.

"Furthermore, we’ve taken great care to design a mining system that will have no long-term impact on the groundwater system, ensuring it remains intact and undamaged for future generations.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=29679]

The innovative mining system is being spriuked as an "Australian first." 

The project incorporates a number of leading practice innovations, "some of which set a new benchmark for underground coal mining in NSW" with the rail wagons used to transport product coal off-site being covered.

Surface infrastructure is proposed to be developed on predominately cleared land owned by Hume Coal, or for which there are appropriate access agreements in place with the landowner, at sites that are relatively free from environmental and other constraints.

With proximity to rail infrastructure and Port Kembla, the Hume Coal Project involves operation of an underground coal mine over a 22 year-period, which will extract approximately 50 million tonnes of coal from the Wongawilli Seam, followed by a closure and rehabilitation phase of nominally two years.

There will be production of nominally up to three million tonnes per annum of metallurgical and thermal coal for international and domestic markets.

There will be peak workforces of approximately 400 full-time equivalent employees during construction and approximately 300 full-time equivalent employees during operations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=94621]

Hume Coal Hume Coal is a wholly owned subsidiary of POSCO Australia, a subsidiary of Korean based POSCO, the world’s sixth-largest steel maker.  Hume Coal currently has two advisory groups, the SRG and WAG.

Hume Coal established a SRG formed in 2014 chaired by Paul Mitchell OAM and is made up of community representatives.

The Hume Coal WAG is made up of representatives from government, local business, landowners, special interest groups and Hume Coal and its technical advisors. It was formed in 2011 and is chaired by the Hon. Gary Nairn.

Hume Coal holds exploration Authorisation 349 (A349) approximately 100kms south of Sydney and 3kms west of Moss Vale, in the Wingecarribee local government area.

Extensive exploration has been undertaken within A349 since the 1950s and the current exploration authorisation was granted in 1985. It was acquired by Hume Coal in 2010. Concurrent with lodging this document, a referral is being made to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment to determine whether or not approval is also required under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

An EIS is a requirement of the approval process.

The project area is in a semi-rural setting, characterised by grazing properties, small-scale farm businesses, hobby farms, natural areas, forestry, scattered rural residences, villages and towns and some industries and major infrastructure.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6656]

A number of State and locally listed heritage places are present in the local area.

The villages of Sutton Forest and Exeter are within A349, but both have been excluded from the project area.

Medway, New Berrima and Berrima villages are also nearby, while Moss Vale, Bowral and Mittagong, located between approximately 3 and 15 km east and north-east of the project area, are the LGA’s main regional centres.

Industrial and manufacturing facilities in the locality include the substantial Berrima Cement Works and Berrima Feed Mill on the fringe of New Berrima, as well as brickworks, metal fabrication, mining equipment manufacture and quarries. Berrima Colliery’s mining lease adjoins the project area’s northern boundary.

Berrima Colliery closed in 2013 after almost one hundred years of operation and is currently in care and maintenance.

The Wingecarribee LGA is also a retirement destination with an aging population, with approximately 42% aged over 50 – significantly higher than the NSW average of 33% (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011).

Main picture of Bunya Hill (dated 2008) from Drew Lindsay Real Estate. 

Carousel images courtesy of US Vogue Magazine.
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Nicole Kidman shows off Bunya Hill, Sutton Forest for first time

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Bongalabi, the 476 hectare Lake Bathurst farm, has been listed for sale.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.domainrural.com.au/listings/details/128476" target="_blank">It has an adjusted $3.2 million asking price</a> through Doug and Ellie Merriman at Ray White Bungendore having had previously $3.55 million hopes.
The Southern Tablelands trophy home is markeed as having "genuine heritage and providence."
The mansion, located on Braidwood Road some 80 kilometres north of Canberra, has eight bedrooms and four bathrooms. 
It was built for the Badgery family, who left the property in 1904.
The property has had five owners - and several different names including Font Hill and St Clair.
Stud cattle breeders Peter and Margie Mullins are the current vendors.
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Bongalabi, Southern Tablelands trophy farm

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Vaucluse, the historic 2654-hectare Tasmanian farm near Launceston with 1830s Georgian mansion, has been sold to the United States food and agriculture conglomerate Cargill, for $20 million.
The Conara, Northern Midlands acquisition joins Cargill's earlier hedge fund investments including Billabong Station in the NSW Eurongilly Valley and sugar cane farm Marwood near Mackay in north Queensland.
Vaucluse was sold by Michael and Susie Warner through <a href="https://landmarkharcourts.com.au/Property/590289/TRT0383/643-Glen-Esk-Road" target="_blank">Michael Warren of Landmark Harcourts Tasmania</a>.
The Warners ran about 14,000 merino sheep and 400 angus cattle on the property. They also grew potatoes, poppies, grass seeds, canola and cereals across around 700 hectares. 
The trophy 1830s home was possibly built to a design by Robert Bostock, adding to an existing two storey section erected in 1820.
In 1847 John Bayles bought Vaucluse from the trustees of Robert Bostock’s estate for £9,057. He was a magistrate for the district.
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Vaucluse, the Northern Midlands Tasmanian farm sells to United States hedge fund

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Nardoo, a Riddells Creek country property in Victoria's Macedon Ranges has been sold by Dr Paul Carter, who published memoirs in his book Tales of a Country Doctor, then his 2014 publication, Further Tales of a Country Doctor.
Since being taken up in the late 1880s, the 165 hectare estate has been owned by only a few.
Ivor Manton, one of two brothers who ran the then prestigious Manton's department store, was a prior owner.
During World War II prisoners of war were kept at the property. Four Italian prisoners worked on the farm during the day and were locked-up in the upper storey of an outbuilding at night.
Nardoo is split up in to three lots and has three houses, stables, a tennis court and a three hole golf course. The custom-built main house was designed by Alistair Knox in the 1970s. It comes with Matchem Skipper-designed chandeliers.
Kennedy &amp; Hunt agent Jason Kennedy <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-mixed+farming-vic-riddells+creek-7949998" target="_blank">had the listing</a> with $4 million to $4.4 million hopes.
The property, with 25 paddocks, came with shearing shed that can handle 150 sheep at a time.
There was a stallion standing area, stallion parade area, amphitheatre and function centre   It came with three stable complexes, totalling 15 stables including mare &amp; foal stable, nine post and rail quarantine day yards, and a vetting facility   The farm had 1.4 metre electric rail/wire mesh fencing, along with 2 metre high perimeter kangaroo proof fencing.
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Nardoo, Riddells Creek country property sold by Dr Paul Carter

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The Credit Suisse head of private banking Edward Jewell-Tait and his wife, Jo didn't stay long in the Southern Highlands. 
Two Gates Farm, their 40-hectare property bought at Robertson for $4.55 million in 2014 from the former World Cup winning Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer and his wife, Ruth, has been resold. 
The Richard Rowe-designed pavillion-style house in Annie Wilkes-designed gardens fetched $4.7 million this time.
The eight month gap saw the highlands kick quite nicely especially in activity.
This article was first published in The Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Edward Jewell Tait sells Two Gates Farm, Robertson

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Fossil Downs Station, the jewel of WA's pastoral industry, has been sold by the Henwood family to cattle queen in the making, Gina Rinehart.
Covering almost 400,000 hectares where the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers meet, the heritage-listed homestead has been dubbed the "<a href="/news/42757-fossil-downs-the-taj-mahal-of-the-kimberley-s-listed" target="_blank">Taj Mahal of the Kimberley</a>".
It is located 430 kms to the live cattle export port of Broome and 30 kms to Fitzroy Crossing township. 
Offers closed July 2 for the property with real estate agent Malcolm French telling the West Australian newspaper he had seen nothing that compared to Fossil Downs in 50 years with Elders.
The $30 million sale to miner Gina Rinehart is reported by the paper today, saying interest came from some of the biggest names in the West Australian business world, including Kerry Stokes and Andrew Forrest.
Rinehart's vision for cattle production in the Kimberley through joint venture company Liveringa Station Beef was crucial in winning over Fossil Downs’ owners John and Annette Henwood, who made the gut wrenching decision to sell, ending a family association dating back to 1882.
"I feel an absolute traitor," said <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bushtelegraph/annette-mcdonald/5895778" target="_blank">Annette Henwood</a>, who was featured on the farm in a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/4389335?zoomLevel=1" target="_blank">1952 Australian Women's Weekly article</a>.
"I never wanted to be the MacDonald who quit," she said.
Last year, Gina Rinehart's company Hancock Prospecting paid around $40 million for a 50 per cent stake in the Liveringa and Nerrima Stations in the Kimberley, hoping to capitalise on Asia's increasing demand for food.
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Gina Rinehart buys Fossil Downs, the WA's pastoral jewel

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The boutique Quorrobolong, Hunter Valley broodmare farm of Brett and Rachael Howard has been listed after the bloodstock industry couple recently purchased Coronation Park in nearby Mount Vincent.
Their existing 20 hectare Sandy Creek property has been listed through Shelly Jurd of Jurds Real Estate some six years after commencing their specialist broodmare farm. 
Over the past six seasons the <a href="https://jurds.com.au/listings/rural_sale-445705-quorrobolong/" target="_blank">farm with views to the Watagan Mountain</a> range across irrigated pastures, has walked out well over 100 mares to the Upper Hunter stallion farms such as Arrowfield, Coolmore, Widden and Yarraman Park, managing to get over 90% of the mares in foal.
“I am not aware of any other properties of its size, containing this amount of horse infrastructure, irrigated pastures, plus with two houses and its lifestyle features, priced under $2 million,” she said.
Brett Howard set up Randwick Bloodstock Agency in 1987, buying the farm in 2006.
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Boutique Hunter Valley broodmare farm listed

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Historic Doogallook, a 535 acre Yea farm, has been listed for sale.
The <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/6938-goulburn-valley-highway-yea/Property-Details-buy-residential-9352712" target="_blank">6938 Goulburn Valley Highway</a> property has been listed with $4 million plus hopes through Bart O'Sullivan and Peter Hawkins at Pat Rice and Hawkins.
The 260 hectare property on the Goulburn River flats was settled by pioneer pastoralist John Cotton in 1843.
John Cotton was born at Clapham Common, London, and after he married Susannah Edwards in 1843, with his wife, four sons, five daughters and some servants set sailed for Australia in the Parkfield.
Before he emigrated Cotton, a naturalist, had published The Resident Song Birds of Great Britain.
After arrival at Port Phillip, Cotton and his family spent time at Balham Hill in the Goulburn River valley with John's younger brother, Edward, who had arrived a short time before.
In late 1843 John took up the near-by station, Doogallook, then 26,800 acres (10,846 ha) with 1800 sheep and 400 cattle.
The next year he acquired Maintoongoon, 28,000 acres (11,331 ha), on the Delatite River.
The Australian Dictionary of Biography noted that by 1846 Cotton held more than sixty square miles (155 km²) and was expected to shear 10,000 sheep.
Cotton died in December 1849, leaving a widow who died in 1852, and ten children.
The restored 1840s solid brick residence has over 50 squares under roof, retaining its Victorian pastoral period feeling.
There are five bedrooms plus study.
It was last traded 22 years ago when bought by the French family.
The property, located about one hour from Melbourne, is scheduled for October 17 auction.
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Historic Doogallook farm in central Victoria listed

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Around $5 million has been paid for Springbank, a 328-hectare farm at Gundowring in Victoria's Kiewa Valley.
It was once owned by Hollywood star Mel Gibson. He lived at his north-eastern Victorian cattle farm with wife, Robyn in the mid-1980s, before buying and eventually relocating to Malibu.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/vic/sale-residential/1651-gundowring-road-gundowring-albury-wodonga-region/1317289810511" target="_blank">The property</a> is about 35 kilometres south-east of Albury-Wodonga at the foothills of Mount Beauty.
It was sold by Albert Park racehorse owner David Trevethan and wife, Christine through Kim McQueen, director of lifestyle estates at Colliers International.
The 1651 Gundowring Road property was run by Mel Gibson as a retreat where he ran Angus cattle. For much of its ownership the property was home to his father, Hutton Gibson, who lived a mud brick home on the holding that Mel Gibson bought for $237,500.
He sold a four-title holding to the Trevethans for $1.825 million in 2004.  
The property now features a modern four-bedroom Clancy stone home, heated pool along with 22 grazing paddocks, a state-of-the-art horse agistment facility and 17 dams, plus cattle yards and sheds.
It had been on and off the market since 2012.
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Springbank, Mel Gibson's former Victorian farm resold

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Virgin Australia co-founder Rob Sherrard has listed Lake House at Cressy in Tasmania, one of Australia's most iconic Georgian farming homes.
The colonial property on 490 hectares in Cressy, 35 kilometres south-west of Launceston, was built in 1830 by London shipowner Robert Corney.
Inspired by British architect Sir John Soane, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-tas-cressy-124197846">the stately three storey residence overlooking the Macquarie River</a> has eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a number of appointed reception rooms of Georgian proportions.
Some $500,000 plus was conservatively expected to be needed to renovate the home when Sherrard bought it for $4,805,000 in 2004 after 50 years ownership by the Wall family.
Two renovated farm houses, stables, coach house and gardner's cottage make up the gardens that are well suited for cropping and fattening land. 
There are $15 million expectations through Unique Estates agent Dominic Romeo.
Soon after the house was finished, Corney drowned in one of the rivers with his widow in residence until the 1860s. 
It is listed with Nicolette van Wijngaarden and Dominic Romeo at Unique Estates.
This article was first published in the Weekend Australian Mansion Australia property section.
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