YATTON, the highly productive Central Queensland property once owned by beef industry heavyweight, the late John Purcell, has sold at a Ray White Rural action for $7.4 million.
The buyers were Rolleston based cattle producers Lindsay and Donna-Maree Fairweather.
The well above pre-auction expectations sale price is equal to about $2621/ha ($1061/acre). The vendor's were John's four children: Jason Purcell, Verena Lund, Rebecca Reid and Patrice Brown, who were also partners in the business for almost 40 years
Marketing agent Richard Brosnan, Ray White Rural Rockhampton, said 11 parties registered registered for the auction, six of whom placed bids during the auction. There were 24 inspections of the property during the marketing campaign.
Located 6km from Clarke Creek and 195km north west of Rockhampton, Yatton was drawn in a brigalow block ballot by the Purcells in 1959.
The 2823 hectare (6976 acre) freehold property is described as a good mixture of developed brigalow and softwood scrub country running onto downs and coolibah river country along the Isaac River.
Improved pastures include buffel, green panic, urochloa, bambatsi, couch, seca and some native grasses.
The river country is comprised of deep fertile black soil flats and areas along the watercourses shaded by blue gum, river red gum, coolibah and Moreton Bay ash.
Yatton has a year-round supply of water from the Isaac River and three permanent water holes.
There is also a 410 megalitre water licence, which could be developed for irrigation.
Improvements include a three bedroom heritage style homestead, two bedroom cottage, sheds and yards.
Yatton was long associated with the hard hitting industry representative John Purcell, who served as the Cattlemens Union president during 1984-86 and again from 1994-97. He was also the chairman of Property Rights Australia from 2005-09.
Yatton was one of the early properties in the Clark Creek district, dating back to the 1880s and covering some 30,000ha. The property was developed as a brigalow block.