Mormons list NSW Riverina farm
The 47,000 hectare NSW Riverina farming aggregation owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been listed for sale with estimates of between $100 million and $120 million.
US-based Westchester Group (owned by American financial services giant TIAA-CREF), Auscott (owned by J. G. Boswell Co of California) and the Harvard Endowment Fund are reportedly contenders for the four farms, according to the Australian Financial Review.
The Murrumbidgee River/Lachlan Valley freehold aggregation include Kooba Station at Darlington Point, Bringagee and Benerembah stations at Carrathool, and Booberoi near Euabalong.
Kooba Station, between Narrandera and Hay, was first settled by Europeans after explorer Charles Sturt charted the Murrumbidgee in 1830.
Records show that in 1837 it was held by John Peter as Cuba Station, covering 153,000 acres (62,000 hectares).
Cuba was sold to John Tooth in 1861. In 1879, it was transferred to the McGaw family and renamed Kooba. In 1926 the McGaws sold to F. W. Hughes, a noted pastoralist. In 1959 the properties were purchased by one of Adelaide's oldest and wealthiest wool broking family companies, G. H. Michell & Sons Pty Ltd.
AgReserves Australia bought the four properties, which grow wheat, corn, beans and other crops, in 1997 for about $70 million from the South Australian family business G. H. Michell & Sons through Wesfarmers Dalgety agent Kerry O'Connell.
At the time the diverse agribusiness ran 30,000 sheep and 13,000 cattle and was the nation's biggest maize and sweetcorn producer.
Founded in 1830, it was the first Australian rural purchase by the Utah-based Church which owns an enormous portfolio of farming properties across the United States, Canada, England, Argentina and Mexico through various corporations.
