“Illalong is one of the better Western Downs properties as there has been a complete Prickly Acacia eradication program and this property has been used by Southern Gulf management as a show piece of what can be done to overcome this noxious pest”

Location:  70km west of Hughenden and 9km south of Marathon off the Flinders Highway. “Illalong” is located roughly equidistant between Hughenden and Richmond, each of which has hospitals, schools, sporting clubs, supermarkets and banks. The property has mains power and telephone and is in close proximity to rail trucking yards, Saleyards in Longreach and Charters Towers and slaughter and store markets. “Illalong” is conveniently located and well suited as a growing or fattening paddock operating in conjunction with a northern breeding property.

Area: 12336ha (30,483ac) in Two separate Titles.

• Freehold – 9875.54ha
• GHPL – 2460.89ha                                   

Carrying Capacity: “Illalong” is rated, by the current owners, as capable of fattening bullocks and  Illalong has run up to 3000 steers to background weights of 440 kg’s.

Country: The country consists of open black soil downs with lightly shaded pebbly ridges. Vegetation comprises Whitewood on the ridges and Coolibah in the creeks with pastures of Mitchell & Flinders grass and annual herbages. The annual average rainfall is 400mm (approx 16 inches). 

Improvements: The property has a new two bedroom cottage with large open plan dining and living area all air conditioned in excellent condition and older 3-bay machinery shed adjacent the house. The property is fenced into 7 main paddocks, plus two holding paddocks, with all fencing mainly new within the last 10 years and in good order. There is lane ways from every paddock to the cattle yard for ease of mustering.

The steel cattle yards constructed of portable panels, come complete with Vet Crush race draft, covered working area, double-deck loading ramp and are in good condition and capable of processing 800 to 1000 head. Live weight scales set up in the undercover race facilities on cement floor. 

Water: Water distribution is the highlight of “Illalong” with a system of sub-artesian bores, turkey nests, poly pipe and troughing to deliver a maximum grazing radius of 1.5-2.0km. Illalong is well watered with two bores, 7 turkey nests, with reticulation poly pipe lines to 25 troughs servicing 6 paddocks and two holding paddocks. House bore set on grid power supply with Big Mill Bore using windmill with gen set run submersible pump for back up.

 The water development delivers big volumes to large mobs of cattle allowing rotational grazing or set stocking. Additionally, the large water storages provide a safety margin in case of pump breakdown and also a longer timeline for management to check the waters.  

Remote monitoring of waters, using internet uSee daily email, involves the use of three cameras which take 5 photos per day of 3 key turkey nests (these key turkey nests gravity feed the other nest). The owners know what the water is doing all the time. 

• House bore is equipped with a brand new 2.2 KW  sub pump and control on a timer. The pump is capable of 2000gals/hr at bore head. The house bore pumps into two 180,000 gal turkey nest which jointly gravity fed to two  turkey nests and three tanks all equipped with troughs.
• New Onga OJ 700  transfer pump on a timer at the house pumps at 1000gal/hr to a  150,000gal turkey nest in Mill paddock.
• OJ 700 pump supplied sprinkler system for the cattle yards.
• Big Mill is a 37ft Southern Cross windmill equipped with a 4 inch syphon  pump, pumping from a depth of 30ft to a 120,000 gallon nest at big mill corner and also to a 200,000 gallon nest 3 klms away in Bore Drain Paddock
• This water system is backed up by sub pump and gen set.
• In total there are 5 poly tanks and 28/  300gal cement troughs 

Agistment: There is one stock owner on agistment with approximately 370 cattle in Big Mill Paddock. 

Vendors Remarks: “Illalong” provides low cost, growing or fattening country which is easy to operate and ideally suited to run in conjunction with a breeding enterprise. It’s Tick free status, bitumen road access and proximity to rail provides great flexibility when marketing to all store and slaughter markets.

Since purchase in 2006 the following work has been completed…

• New house
• Prickly Acacia eradication – several treatments/yr, every year. Now spot spray programme only
• Stock water system improvement including pump upgrade, Big Mill refurbishment, troughing & poly tanks storage
• Removal of several old dilapidated buildings
• Fencing including new boundary fencing with Ophir, Morvada & Mugwee, internal fencing and laneways
• Cattle yard upgrade

Livestock & Plant: The property is being sold bare of cattle & plant but with some agistment cattle remaining in place.

Optional … There are approximately 800 head of steers and 100 heifers that can be purchased with the property if required.

Disclaimer: The above report has been prepared by Slaney & Co based on information supplied by the property owner and other credible sources. Every endeavour has been made to verify its accuracy. Whilst we trust the information to be correct, we make no warranties or guarantees and prospective purchasers must rely on their own enquiries & research.