Pineleigh, one of Goulburn's finest homes, has been bought by Pru Goward, the NSW state planning minister.

It is an 1873 two storey Victorian residence marketed as being "imbued with a sense of effortless grace and style".

It is set on three acres of sweeping lawns and established gardens.

The four bedroom house comes with an alfresco pool area. The interiors are dressed with fireplaces, high patterned ceilings and delightful timber windows.

Century 21 Town and Country agent Justin Gay secured the delayed settlement sale late last year with settlement recently indicating the $1.15 million sale price for the 8,939 square metre property.

The historic Pineleigh was sold by hotelier Peter Griffiths which bought the larger 1.5 hectare property for $1.12 million in 2006.

The house was built for blacksmith Henry Monkley. The Sisters of St Joseph acquired the property in 1929 for a novitiate and used it until it became a private residence again in 1970.

Two Canyonleigh, Southern Highlands properties owned by Father Chris Riley's Youth Off The Streets (YOTS) charity organisation remain for sale after being passed in at recent auction.

The two 40-hectare properties were offered following the opening of a new Wollongong residential facility for homeless youth.

Raine and Horne Wollongong real estate agent Joe Casarotto has the listing on Lot 1 Tugalong Road, Canyonleigh (pictured above), which was gifted to Youth Off The Streets in 1996 by Matt and Fiona Handbury.

Lot 1 is known as Better Homes Farm, a nod to Mr Handbury's former role as publisher of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

In 2000 they gifted a second parcel of land, Lot 2 Tugalong Road, now known as Foundation House.

Both properties include residential and teaching facilities. Lot 1, with its substantial improvements is expected to sell for more than $1.5 million while Lot 2 has a guide of $600,000-plus.

Mining tycoon Nathan Tinkler’s two Hunter Valley Patinack Farm thoroughbred properties will go to 13 October auction under instructions to repay loans to retail billionaire Gerry Harvey.

Rural agent Chris Meares of Meares & Associates has been appointed to market the 1,338 hectare thoroughbred farm, Richmond Grove in Sandy Hollow.

The 1,398 hectare Tremayne mixed-use rural property in Broke has been listed by Shelly Jurd of Jurd’s Real Estate in conjunction with Meares & Associates, with Fairfax Media reporting the agents have yet to sufficiently inspect the properties to determine price estimates.

The Richmond Grove property is one of the largest thoroughbred farms in Australia.

Two other Patinack Farm thoroughbred properties - 440 hectares at Beaudesert in south-east Queensland and Banoon with 384 hectares of rural land at Monegeeta in Victoria - will also be sold at spring auction.

A reputed $130 million sale of the Patinack portfolio to Middle Eastern firm Cibola Capital in May did not proceed.

Eleuthera, the Exeter farm tops the list of early spring prestige NSW Southern Highland offerings after its wet-ended winter.

It is a 40 hectare estate with a stone, glass and masonry five bedroom, three bathroom home inspired by the modernist architectural forms of Frank Lloyd Wright.

There are large picture windows with views over the gardens and beyond.

The home comes with two kitchens - the internal chef’s kitchen with AGA plus the inner courtyard outdoor kitchen.

The grounds have pool, tennis court, three bedroom manager’s cottage and stables.

It comes with heated pool, tennis court, three bedroom manager’s cottage, and two bedroom barn style guest accommodation and stables.

The property is about one and a half hours from Sydney and an hour from Canberra.

Drew Lindsay at Drew Lindsay Real Estate is giving $6.5 million price guidance for the redundant home of his Monaco-based vendor, mining entrepreneur Chris Kyriakou.

The district's last big sale was reported by Property Observer in April when the Sydney based car dealer, John Newell secured the 4.85 hectare Exeter estate, Chimneys for $4.5 million through Margaret McCauley Real Estate in conjunction with Ray White agent, Megan Smith. 

The former World Cup winning Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer and his wife, Ruth, have sold their Southern Highlands retreat.

It was listed mid-year with $4.5 million plus hopes having been on the market for about $5 million in July 2013.

Title Tattle gleans around $4.55 million was secured.

Two Gates Farm is a 40-hectare property bought at Robertson as land in 2002 for $865,000.

The Richard Rowe-designed pavillion-style house sits in Annie Wilkes-designed gardens.

There are self-contained guest quarters, a pool and tennis court. 

Hamish Robertson at McGrath had the offering.

The couple will downsize to a three-bedroom house on 2,000 square metres in nearby Bowral for $550,000. 

Nathan Tinkler’s 447-hectare Patinack Farm property in Beaudesert, Queensland has been listed for October 23 auction through LJ Hooker Surfers Paradise agent Cameron McPhie.

The property will be available in four portions, comprising Wadham Park, Elysium Fields, Sarahvale and Benoble.

The reported expectation ranged is from $18 million to $23 million in total. It comes with homestead plus 14 cottages.

Its carrying capacity is currently 400 Broodmares with 300 progeny and Stallions with scope to develop the carrying capacity to 2,500 horses.

Just a week later Tinkler’s two prized Hunter Valley farms, the 1338-hectare thoroughbred farm Richmond Grove in Sandy Hollow, and the 1398-hectare Tremayne mixed-use rural property in Broke, through Chris Meares of Meares & Associates.

Shelly Jurd of Jurd’s Real Estate is co-selling agent on the Tremayne farm. 

More than 500 breeding and racing thoroughbreds will be offered for sale in the meantime.

A reputed $130 million sale of the Patinack portfolio to Middle Eastern firm Cibola Capital in May did not proceed.

Banoon, a 385-hectare property near Woodend, an hour northwest of Melbourne, will go to October 31 auction as part of the Nathan Tinkler disposal.

Nathan Tinkler paid $3.63 million for Banoon in 2008.

The 120 Joyces Road, Monegeeta property is being marketed by Keatings Real Estate as an "excellent opportunity to secure a rarely available large inner country very versatile lifestyle property."

At the end of its mature oak tree entrance driveway, there is a rambling five bedroom 1910 weatherboard homestead. The property has Deep Creek frontage.

Its farming Zone (FZ1) come with subdivision potential into minimum lot sizes of 40ha (100Acres) subject to council permit.

There were ambitious $5 million hopes for the property on its 2010 listing.

Estate agent John Keating told the Australian Financial Review he expects that it will probably sell in the vicinity of $2.1 million to $2.3 million.

The historic Kameruka dairy estate in the Bega Valley in southern NSW has been listed for sale.

Its ­English owners are seeking $11 million plus for the 1348 hectare property near Bega.

The offering comes with a smaller ­405-hectare holding called Staplehurst.

Cheese was first produced at Kameruka in 1854.

Chris Meares of Meares &­ Associates, who secured its 2008 sale, has the listing which includes the 1845 homestead, its own English parkland-style village, cricket ground and golf course.

British shipping magnate Giles Pritchard-Gordon and his wife, Lou, acquired the property for about ­$9 million in 2007 from Frank Foster, a descendent of brewery baron Robert Tooth, whose family that had owned Kameruka for 150 years.

Since Mr Pritchard-Gordon, whose interests spanned farms and horse-breeding in Britain, the USA and Australia, died in late 2011, the estate has been run by his widow and her four daughters.

The historic 1886 homestead Glen Alpine near Tamworth has burnt down two days before its sale settlement.

But the $4.5 million sale of the heritage-listed John Horbury Hunt-designed home on 1335-hectares is likely continue to conclusion.

The buyer, landscaper-builder Antony Tisch and his wife Wendy, had already bought out some of the neighbours to increase their land holding.

Rural crime investigator Detective Senior Constable Scott Kellahan said police at Werris Creek noticed the blaze just after midnight on Wednesday.

Court proceedings to determine what insurance is payable to either party is expected.

Property Observer wrote in March this year that much of the Glen Alpine mansion had undergone extensive renovation retaining beautiful period features within its hallways, reception rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. However, the servery wing and billiard/ballroom require restoration and awaited any new owners' interpretation.

It had been listed with a $5.9 million asking price.

Fairfax Media and NBN Nine News reported the fire was suspicious.

Melbourne stockbroker Steve Gillon has listed his Victorian rural holding at Merton-Mansfield for auction with expectations of more than $1.2 million.

The 75-hectare Rosevale is an elegant country retreat with a productive beef cattle farm and stud.

Gillon, and his wife Di have held it for 35 years.

Located in northeast Victoria, Rosevale is 8 kilometres from Lake Eildon, an hour from the snowfields of Mount Buller and two hours from Melbourne.

It has a stock holding capacity of 400 head of cattle and is a full blood Wagyu cattle operation with associated sheds, cattle yards and storage. There are nine spring fed dams and a new electric bore that that feeds a holding tank for the stock and residence.

The Rosevale homestead is a graceful trophy home with sympathetic extensions built by local craftsmen. It has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office and large formal and informal living rooms. A large fireplace is built from antique Hawthorn bricks. 

Listing agent Matt Childs from Pat Rice & Hawkins says the estate is likely to attract lifestylers given its productive pastures and the nature of Rosevale as classic rural retreat.

It will be auctioned on site on November 8.

Champion trainer Brian Hancock has relisted his Calderwood harness racing property Teeny Lodge for auction this weekend.

The 22-hectare property at 582 Calderwood Road property has been listed with Starr Partners Windsor and W. M. Carpenter & Associates Bowral.

It has stabling for 35 horses, day yards, 12 paddocks, staff quarters, office and 700 metre training track at the base of the escarpment close to Albion Park.

With Brian Hancock retiring from the racing industry, the property will be on the market for the first time in 40 years, although listed in June last year.

It has been marketed as a wonderful nursery for the breeding and training of Australia’s honour roll of trotting.

An impressive five Inter Dominions wins has entered Teeny Lodge into racing folklore with winners such as; Koala King, Thorate, Weona Warrior and the legendary Our Sir Vancelot, winning three times.

It was named after Hancock’s first champion pacer, Teeny Rena.

The holding can now be further developed pending council approval, due to its status as General Rural in the Wollongong district.

It goes to Sunday onsite auction.

Today's auction of two Hunter Valley properties in the Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm racing empire, has been cancelled.

Richmond Grove in Sandy Hollow (pictured above) and Tremayne in Broke, NSW, will now be up for expressions of interest.

“Both of the Thursday auctions have been cancelled, those interested parties will now be tendering for the assets,” an email from Meares and Associates to Fairfax Media advised.

The cancellation comes after Tinkler’s four Canungra properties on Queensland's Gold Coast hinterland were passed in last Thursday.

The stud farm offerings have been much anticipated.

Muntham Station, between Coleraine and Casterton, first settled by the Henty family, has been listed for sale by the Oldham family.

It is listed through Elders agent Shane McIntrye for November 14 expressions of interest.

The property in the Western District of Victoria, was dubbed by NSW Surveyor General Major Thomas Mitchell as 'Australia Felix' in 1836.

In 1836 Mitchell recommended the Hentys travel inland from Portland to see for themselves and soon after they settled at Muntham and neighbouring Merino Downs and Sandford.

The Henty family had left England several years earlier given poor prospects after the Napoleonic wars persuaded Thomas Henty to sell his Sussex farm and begin a new life with his wife, daughter, seven sons and a flock of Spanish merino sheep.

The family was granted more than 80,000 acres (32,000 hectares) on the Swan River in Western Australia and James Henty, the eldest son, sailed with stock and laborers in 1829. He failed to find good land and sailed to Launceston in 1831 where his mother, sister and four of his brothers including Edward.

Settlement in the Port Phillip District then part of New South Wales was forbidden, but Edward Henty first saw Portland Bay in April 1833 when sailing on his brother's boat, the Thistle, en route to collect whaling oil at Spencer Gulf.

The unauthorised third and last Henty migration landed on 19 November 1834.

The original section of the 1836 homestead remains one of the earliest structures in Victoria, extended in the 1850-60s, and in 1907 a kitchen wing was added. Servants rooms were also built at the rear of the house and at the turn of the twentieth century, a charming schoolhouse was erected to the rear of the main building.

It is now a beautiful, completely charming 6BR home in extensive English style gardens on Muntham Hill overlooking the Wennicot Creek.

The colonial artist Sir Thomas Clark painted the homestead in 1874.

While the original woolshed burnt down in 1920, the red brick barn, thought to have been built in the 1840s, sits at the rear of the homestead. It is believed to be the oldest brick building still standing on a farm in Victoria and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Database and by the National Trust of Victoria, who consider it culturally and architecturally significant to Victoria’s heritage.

It was modelled on English farmhouse traditions of the early nineteenth century and is more Georgian in character, typical of Tasmanian buildings of the era. 

Successive owners, the Mackinnon, Ellis, Lobb, Dickinson, Hryckow and Oldham families – have all been worthy custodians.

It now harvests olive oil from its 350-tree grove, as well as produce an enviable Pinot Noir from its boutique vineyard. The farm is currently stocking 300 Angus breeders and calves, 60 retained heifers, 12 bulls, 300 ewes and lambs, and 160 hoggets.

Picture: Edward HENTY 1809-1878 standing on wool bales at "Muntham" Woolshed, Carapook with some of his workers in the foreground with the original HENTY plough. Source: Glenelg & Wannon Settlers & Settlement.

Equestrian pursuits are always costly affairs, be it thoroughbred racing, dressage, show jumping, eventing or polo. And pricey ponies were hot topics of conversation during Melbourne’s recent Spring Racing Carnival.

These expensive horse properties always sparked the interest of our property contrarians, Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok - particularly after Patinack Farm, the Gold Coast and Hunter Valley horse racing empire headquarters of embattled former mining magnate Nathan Tinkler, failed to attract a buyer at auction last month.

This week Jonathan and Margie look at two other impressive equine properties on the market.   

HE SAID:

I still fancy Yallambee Stud, recognised in the thoroughbred industry as one of Victoria's oldest and most successful bloodstock operations. Set 50 kilometres from Melbourne CBD, the 243 hectare property has been breeding champion thoroughbreds for over five decades.

The vendors are the Woodard family, traditionally beef and sheep pastoralists from Skipton in the Western District of Victoria, who shifted their stud operation in 1986 to the Macedon Ranges region, drawn to its volcanic soils, high rainfall, water and proximity to Melbourne.

It was a sensible move with the equine operations designed to suit thoroughbred breeding, rearing youngsters and racehorse spelling. Yallambee Stud, jointly with neighboring Eliza Park Stud, stand two of Australia's most popular, commercial young stallions - God's Own and Magnus.

Yallambee Stud (pictured below) is listed for sale through Sam Triggs and Jamie Inglis of Inglis Rural Property. 

SHE SAID:

Montana Park in Queensland caught my attention due to its huge homestead. Large enough for myself, Jonathan and a host of horsey hangers-on, it is set on 42-hectares of lush land at Maleny - just an hour from the Doomben race track.

Listed for sale by tender closing December 12, Montan Park (pictured below) is described in its online marketing advertising as “the ultimate horse property without isolation or remoteness…a rare offering in one of Queensland’s most desirable locations”.

Rare indeed – few rural properties have a luxury homestead measuring 1,804 square metres. With views of the Glass House Mountains, this vast abode has umpteen bedrooms and bathrooms including an enormous parents’ retreat with separate his ‘n’ hers marble en suites, a steam room, massage room, opulent dressing rooms and a sitting area overlooks the green rolling hills.

While the Ray White Buderim selling agents, Lew Pottinger and Nathan Nicholl, rave about the “Versace-inspired” style of the main bedroom suite, I would redecorate it for my interior design taste is rather more simplistic. Thank goodness Melissa Penfold is offering e-décor on her new website - an online bible of Australia’s best shops and services, making good design accessible to everyone.

Also in the homestead are a feng shui-influenced office/media centre, a cinema room, state-of-the-art kitchen and enormous living, dining and entertainment areas flowing to the garden and resort-style swimming pool. 

But it is the Montana Park horses who are truly pampered in 45 post-and-rail paddocks perfectly positioned around two Olympic-size dressage arenas, a six-horse “ezywalker” and lavish stables.  Horses who prefer music can exercise at night in the covered all-weather arena with designer lighting and an integrated sound system. 

Ideal for dressage workshop clinics, this equine complex also features an amphitheatre and extensive accommodation for riders. Designed to impress international instructors, it has a purpose-built guests suite with a common room, commercial kitchen and large dining area.

Rivalling the homestead in its size and lavish appointments, the stable complex incorporates 10 double-sized broodmare boxes, two stallion boxes, wash bays, a vet room, horse scales, tack room, rug room, feed room (with 1,200 bale capacity and grain silo), plus accommodation and access for large floats and goose neck trailers.

I recall when the stable complex was the showpiece of the previous owners, show jumping couple, David and Pam Courtice, who developed the property from a run-down dairy farm with 100-year-old fencing, pig pens and barbed wire. 

The Courtices’ two-year transformation attracted intense local ‘sticky-beaking’ as mud turned into green paddocks, and impressive timber fencing was erected to define the perimeter of the picture postcard property, known then as Tengarra Park.

The Courtices’ daughter, Sam, was the only professional show jumper in the family. Although, another daughter Chrystal found the Maleny property on the internet after David had been looking for 12 months.

After the property sold to Dean Shannon, and his equine enthusiast wife, Kelly, its name was changed to Montana Park.

If I bought this property I would change the name back to Tengarra Park, and then set up a thoroughbred spelling business given the property has easy road access to racecourses at Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The London-based private equity investor Terra Firma is considering the partial sale of Australia’s largest privately owned beef producer, Consolidated Pastoral Company.

The decision by Terra Firma to introduce a part-owner for Consolidated Pastoral is thought to signal attempts to increase its capacity for a potential acquisition, possibly Macquarie Pastoral.

It has appointed investment bank Barclays Capital to field recent approaches from Chinese parties, the Australian Financial Review said.

Consolidated Pastoral was bought from the Packer family in 2009 for around $450 million.

It’s believed Terra Firm was considering a partial sale of as much as 40%.

Consolidated Pastoral has a book value of about $700 million.

Owning and operating 19 cattle stations, it has more than 360,000 head of cattle across 5.6 million hectares of land in Australia.

The CPC chief executive Troy Setter said the company had received interest from Indonesia and China.

The Bunda Station, of the Victoria River District, in the Northern Territory, is being sold for about $15 million through Ruralco Property.

The 178,800-hectare station owned by the Underwood family sits adjacent to the buyer, Consolidated Pastoral Company's Kirkimbie Station.

"We are in the final stages of due diligence and it is under contract," CPC chief executive Troy Setter confirmed to Fairfax Media.

CPC controls 19 properties across Australia's top end covering more than 5.6 million hectares.

Bunda Station was passed in at 2012 Elders auction with just a $10 million vendor bid.

Bunda was offered with 13,500 Brahman and Charbray infused cattle.

The herd includes 2,000 purebred Brahman bulls and breeders. 

Bunda has been developed with 22 bores.

Twin Pines Station, at Taralga 60 kilometres from Goulburn, sold under the hammer late last month for $605,000.

The 48-hectare property was sold by the restaurateur Peter Doyle and his wife, Fiona, given their move to Adelaide to be close to family. 

The Doyle's have been living at the cattle farm after selling their Watsons Bay home.

The farm was purchased in 2001 for $215,000.

It sold through David Medina of Elders.

Stannix Park, one of 20 colonial stone farmhouses in the Hawkesbury Valley, goes to auction tomorrow through Ray White Rural agent Greg Wall.

There are five issued contracts so a competitive auction is expected.

Selena Mazuran, from the FBI Fashion College, was seeking offers over $2.2 million for her colonial stone farmhouse at Wilberforce when it went to mid-2014 auction.

But there are now $1.5 million plus expectations.

The convict-era homestead dates back to the pioneer settler William Hall and his wife, Dinah, who got a 1839 land grant.

Selena Mazuran bought it in 2009 for $1.225 million, then adding 2,300 square metres of adjoining land in 2012.

The 20-hectare lot on plains between Currency and Howes creeks, near NSW's Windsor, now comes with pool, separate studio and stables, and chapel at 103 Stannix Park Lane.

Stannix Park had improvements done, overseen by Stonehill Restorations to plans prepared by Ian Stapleton and Clive Lucas. It has three attic-style bedrooms.

The steep 55-degree pitched roof is of jerkin head design. The coach-house has a keystone dated 1839 with the initials H.H., presumed to be Henry Hall, William Hall's son.

The convict-era homestead dates back to the pioneer settler William Hall and his wife, Dinah, who got a 1839 land grant.

The ANZ Bank has announced a 12-month moratorium on farm repossessions in Northern and Western Queensland and North-West New South Wales.

ANZ CEO Australia Philip Chronican noted some of the worst drought conditions in a generation in the announcement which was the first of the big banks to respond to growing calls for Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey to intervene.

Queensland vet Dr David Pascoe; the Katters, the Queensland independent politician father-son team; Longreach-based Father Matthew Moloney; federal agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce and 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones have been among those putting pressure on the banks to stop the current spate of repossessions ahead of the wet season.

"We are acutely aware of the impact this is having on farmers, their families and on farming communities," Philip Chronican noted.

“The aim of these measures is to ease financial concerns of farmers and to demonstrate ANZ’s commitment to working with them through the cycle,” he said.

The new package includes:

• Moratorium on new farm repossessions until December 2015.
• 12-month commitment not to increase interest rates on distressed farms and interest rate relief in cases of extreme distress.
• Financial assistance to support farmers choosing to relocate off the land.
• Increased funding for rural counselling focussed on towns hardest hit by drought.