A big crowd has witnessed an incredible farm land auction on South Australia's red hot Yorke Peninsula.
About 90 people crammed into the Curramulka Community Club to witness local history being made with the sale of the Longbottom's three cropping blocks for more than $13 million.
In total 350 hectares (865 acres) of arable country was sold at auction for an average $15,191 per acre.
Even though agents from Nutrien Harcourts expected a hot sale given one of the last properties sold in the Curramulka area made $12,200 per acre back in early 2022, the results were stunning.
Pineview has been held by the same family for 130 years to demonstrate the worth of the area.
History is being made across the state with a district record price paid on Wednesday in the Lower North with an amazing $13,218 per acre paid at auction.
The Selleck family's single large cropping block across 106 hectares (261 acres) sold for a staggering $3,450,000 at the Freeling Recreation Centre auction conducted by Ray White Rural.
A report last week from Rural Bank (part of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank group) looking at farm sales across the nation in the first half of the year found parts of SA saw the largest rise in median price per hectare in the nation.
But back to the amazing Longbottom auction on Friday.
Three lots were sold at the auction.
Lot 1 was the home block of Pineview (214ha, 528 acres) of arable land which sold for $7,910,000 to average $14,981 per acre. It also has a four-bedroom home on the block.
Lot 2 was Pat's (57ha, 140 acres) of arable land which sold for $2,280,000 or $16,286 per acre.
Finally Lot 3 "Tommy's' was offered (80ha,197 acres) of arable land and sold for $2,950,000 to average $14,975 per acre.
The properties receive a reliable annual rainfall of around 417mm according to nearby records for Curramulka although rainfall received so far this year is below the average.
The properties together take in 354ha to demonstrate almost all the country is considered arable.
Agents from Nutrien Harcourts said the Curramulka farming district is highly regarded as a reliable cropping district hence why so few farming properties come up for sale.
They expected sale would attract a lot of interest.
The land consists of mostly brown with some grey loam cropping soils having been continuously cropped to wheat and lentils in recent years.
Lots one and two are are accessed from the unsealed Quarry Road while Tommy's has frontage to the sealed Port Vincent Road.
Pineview and Pat's are about five kilometres south of Curramulka while Tommy's is 8km south of Curramulka and 8.5km east of Minlaton.
All three properties are just under 40km from the Port Giles grain terminal.
Now the attention turns to Nutrien Harcourts' auction of Butler's on the Koolywurtie Church Road, Minlaton across 196ha (484 acres).
The auction will be held from 2pm on Friday at the Minlaton Bowling Club.
The Koolywurtie land is available for the first time in more than a century as well.
Troy Goldsworthy 0488 128801 is the contact for this sale.
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.
