CORINDA offers a good mix of dryland and irrigated cropping, and livestock country in the heart of southern NSW.
Located near Berrigan, the 758ha farm is a 15-minute drive north of the Murray River and close to the aquatic playground of Yarrawonga.
- CORINDA
- BERRIGAN, NSW
- Property: grazing, dryland and irrigated cropping
- Size: 758.3ha
- Price: $2284/ha
- Agent: Elders Real Estate, Griffith
- Contact: (02) 6969 2929
The property, in a 425mm rainfall zone, has already enjoyed 125mm so far this year, setting up a great start to the winter cropping season.
It has been owned for the past 47 years by the McLennan family, with John (pictured) and Kerene McLennan the present owners.
Corinda has a 200-megalitre licence from the Corurgan Irrigation Scheme, used for summer cropping and pre-watering winter cereals. About 117ha has been lasered for rice.
"We took over the property four years ago from my father," John said.
"In the last few years we have cleaned out dams and constructed another one.
"There has been some refencing and we have planted trees as shelter belts."
Normally, Corinda carries 1000 first-cross ewes bought from the Yarrawonga special store sales and joined to Poll Dorset rams.
The second-cross lambs are sold at the Yarrawonga prime lamb market or over-the-hooks at 18-24kg dressed.
"We have lightened off our cattle numbers but at times have run 30 Murray Grey breeders with the vealer calves sold at Finley," John said.
Each year, 500ha of wheat, barley, canola or lupins are direct drilled with all stubbles retained.
Some 70ha of lucerne and clover pasture is undersown with barley for livestock grazing.
"We have limed the light sandy country two years ago at 2.5 tonnes/ha and there is a history of gypsum use for canola," John said.
Fertiliser applications are made according to soil tests but generally 100kg/ha DAP is used at sowing.
"In 2005, our wheat yields averaged 3.5 tonnes/ha," John said.
"Rice has not been grown for four years but in our best year we grew 40ha to average 11.7 tonnes/ha.
"We have also grown forage sorghum for cattle.
"I am about to sow 50ha of oats, which will be grazed and then locked up for hay and grain."
"At the moment we are having a great start to the season."
Mr McLennan plans to sow canola and lupins from April 15 following on from two summer weed control programs.
Subdivided into 14 paddocks, the farm is well watered by 14 surface dams and troughs.
Originally built in 1965, the brick-veneer home on Corinda had a major renovation in the early 1980s.
The kitchen and two bathrooms have recently been renovated.
Featuring four bedrooms with built-in-robes, the home has a family room with built-in bar and a Castlemaine slate open fire place with a raised hearth.
There is also a guest bathroom with spa bath, a formal dining room, office, sun room, ducted cooling and split-system heating. Detached is a meat house and storage room.
The home is in a garden of mature trees, shrubs and lawn, and has a 163,000-litre rainwater storage.
Working improvements include two machinery sheds, workshop, seven grain silos, steel cattle yards, triple garage and steel sheep yards.
"This farm has nice red loam soils and light undulating country that drains well," John said.
"A small part of the property has grey soils where the rice is grown.
"We love the location as within 15 minutes of finishing work we can be on a nice beach on the Murray River.
"And, we are only 25 minutes from restaurants and the lake at Yarrawonga-Mulwala."
