Chinese retail and supermarket giant Dashang Group's subsidiary, Australia Aulong Auniu Wang (AAAW) has taken a caveatable purchasing interest in the Glenrock Station near Scone in the Hunter Valley.

It was reportedly sold earlier this year for $45 million, with the paperwork not yet formally registered.

Dashang, based in China's northern port city of Dalian, has also purchased the prime 1100-hectare rural property Clear Hills near Captains Flat outside Canberra. 

Dashang's reported intention in Australia is to become the No.1 importer of Australian beef into China.

It also wants to be the first Chinese company to import live cattle from Australia under the recently signed live cattle export deal.

The 30,868-hectare Glenrock Station grazing property neighbours James Packer's Ellerston estate. 

After FIRB approvals, Dashang have maintained the farm team at Glenrock, with the aim of running between 10,000 and 15,000 Angus head on the property.

Glenrock, the Scone district pastoral station, last traded in 2005 when bought by then Babcock & Brown managing director Phil Green and Tricom brokerage firm founder Lance Rosenberg in a syndicate that paid $23 million.

The syndicate purchased Glenrock from Compagnie de l’Occident pour la Finance et l’Industrie, a Luxembourg corporation with interests in financial management, banking, property and ­agriculture.

According to past ASIC filings, Green owned 51% of the property's holding company Glenrock Station Pty Ltd, and its directors include Claymore Capital's Anton Rosenberg (whose wife Sharron is also a shareholder) and former Babcock & Brown's Paul Platus, who now works with Green at advisory firm, Alceon.

The other shareholders are Grace Mutual chief Andrew Tyndale and property developer Alan Cardy, the second largest with 25%.

A consortium of Chinese millionaires has bought the Victorian rural property, Chatsworth Park from the Bayles family.

It was on the market for more than two years.

The Nagambie property is reported by the Australian Financial Review to have fetched more than $10 million.

Amanda Elliott nee Bayles – John Elliott’s second ex-wife – was one of four beneficiaries to inherit the 946-hectare northern Victoria holding from her late father, former VRC vice chairman Ian Bayles.

Pat Race & Hawkins agent Peter Hawkins represented the family for the sale of 297 Mitchellstown Road, Tabilk.

Chatsworth Park has always had a thoroughbred history with James Redfern in 1890, a known horse enthusiast, owning the property with 1891 Melbourne Cup Winner, Malvalio buried there.

The 1893 Melbourne Cup winner, Tarcoola was also bred on this historic property.

Chatsworth Park was then owned by L.K.S. Mackinnon, a known racing owner and administrator who had the time honored LKS Mackinnon Stakes being named after him, one of Australasia's famous Group One events. 

In 1933, grazier and wool industry leader, Douglas Boyd purchased Chatsworth Park and built the homestead in 1936 with the assistance of the eminent Melbourne architect Robert Hamilton in the Tudor revival style.

Ian Bayles DFC, the honoured World War II pilot bought the property in 1948. 

Local legends George and Kathleen Collier of the Byron Shire are looking to sell their rural lifestyle home at Mullumbimby.

The home has been a part of Collier family for the past 40 years, being used as a farming estate for the couple.

The property sits on over 40 hectares of land marketed as making a prime investment for new tourist accommodation.

The price for the estate is disclosed through Paul Prior and Tara Torkkola, Byron Bay First National.

A similar estate in Mullumbimby, being handled by Property Now that also features 40 hectares of land currently has an asking price of $1.3 million.

Company director Pat Handley has listed Shandon, his restored 19th-century Robertson homestead in the Southern Highlands.

The 17 hectare estate comes with $5.25 million hopes through Margaret McCauley.

The former Westpac chief financial officer and his wife, Dianne bought it for $4 million in 2004 from the Tilley clan.

The Pearsons Lane house incorporates the 1860s stone residence built for the Pearson family. The Tilley brothers had the old silo adjacent converted by architect Kathy Barnsley into guest accommodation, topped off by a glass lookout.

The Handley's have upgraded their home in the US state of Montana, and will keep Palm Beach as their main Australian base.

Historic Doogallook, a 535 acre Yea farm, has been listed for sale.

The 6938 Goulburn Valley Highway property has been listed with $4 million plus hopes through Bart O'Sullivan and Peter Hawkins at Pat Rice and Hawkins.

The 260 hectare property on the Goulburn River flats was settled by pioneer pastoralist John Cotton in 1843.

John Cotton was born at Clapham Common, London, and after he married Susannah Edwards in 1843, with his wife, four sons, five daughters and some servants set sailed for Australia in the Parkfield.

Before he emigrated Cotton, a naturalist, had published The Resident Song Birds of Great Britain.

After arrival at Port Phillip, Cotton and his family spent time at Balham Hill in the Goulburn River valley with John's younger brother, Edward, who had arrived a short time before.

In late 1843 John took up the near-by station, Doogallook, then 26,800 acres (10,846 ha) with 1800 sheep and 400 cattle.

The next year he acquired Maintoongoon, 28,000 acres (11,331 ha), on the Delatite River.

The Australian Dictionary of Biography noted that by 1846 Cotton held more than sixty square miles (155 km²) and was expected to shear 10,000 sheep.

Cotton died in December 1849, leaving a widow who died in 1852, and ten children.

The restored 1840s solid brick residence has over 50 squares under roof, retaining its Victorian pastoral period feeling.

There are five bedrooms plus study.

It was last traded 22 years ago when bought by the French family.

The property, located about one hour from Melbourne, is scheduled for October 17 auction.

Vaucluse, the historic 2654-hectare Tasmanian farm near Launceston with 1830s Georgian mansion, has been sold to the United States food and agriculture conglomerate Cargill, for $20 million.

The Conara, Northern Midlands acquisition joins Cargill's earlier hedge fund investments including Billabong Station in the NSW Eurongilly Valley and sugar cane farm Marwood near Mackay in north Queensland.

Vaucluse was sold by Michael and Susie Warner through Michael Warren of Landmark Harcourts Tasmania.

The Warners ran about 14,000 merino sheep and 400 angus cattle on the property. They also grew potatoes, poppies, grass seeds, canola and cereals across around 700 hectares. 

The trophy 1830s home was possibly built to a design by Robert Bostock, adding to an existing two storey section erected in 1820.

In 1847 John Bayles bought Vaucluse from the trustees of Robert Bostock’s estate for £9,057. He was a magistrate for the district.

Some $14 million has been paid for a Roma farm by Tom Strachan, the owner of Australia's largest privately owned labour hire company AUX.

The 7300-hectare Lighthouse station borders his current rural property holding, Lorraine.

"It's champagne country that you can't get enough of," Mr Strachan told The Australian Financial Review.

The new cattle station purchase was made through his Australian Pastoral Land Company, which is separate from the labour hire business.

The Lighthouse property was formerly owned by the estate of Dr Jim Baker who acquired it in 1975 during the "Beef Depression".

Mr Strachan's wealth is estimated by the BRW Young Rich List at $47 million.

The property, was offered to the market alongside the neighbouring Meeleebee Downs, which is in due diligence with a separate buyer.

CBRE's Danny Thomas, Chris Holgar and Geoff Warriner negotiated the sale.

The northern tablelands NSW rural holding, Brushgrove, is to be offered for sale by rural property specialists Meares & Associates, Sydney, via Meares Online Auction.

The New England fine wool and beef cattle farm is 3,014 hectares (7,448.5 acres), 23km west of Uralla, 46km south west of Armidale, 112 km north east of Tamworth.

The holding was bought in about 2002 and initially run with sheep, and, in more recent times cattle. 

"With an increase in lamb and cattle prices, the ability to run approximately 12,000 DSE’s or 800 plus breeding cows should make Brushgrove an attractive investment proposition for either existing operators or investors looking to capitalise earnings in to rural property,” Chris Meares said

The Meares online auction commences September 29 concluding 3:00pm September 30.

The London based M.P. Evans Group has sold its 31,000 hectare cattle-fattening property Woodlands, near Westmar in Queensland, for $28 million to the Fucheng Group.

The sale is conditional on Foreign Investment Review Board approval.

The group's core strategy is to continue to expand its oil-palm areas in Indonesia, in a sustainable and cost-effective manner. 

Its statement to the London Stock Exchange, M.P. Evans, advised its board determined some time ago, for strategic reasons, to sell Woodlands but significant interest in the property had only developed in recent months further to the sharp strengthening of the cattle market.

Woodlands reported a farm profit for the year ended 31 December 2014 of US$0.2 million.

Boonoorong on 20 hectares outside Flinders has been listed with $1.7 million plus hopes.

It was built in 2003 as a holiday house by owners Grant Murray and Janet Truscott who had backgrounds in engineering and science.

Energy efficiency was the priority when commissioning the build.

Kay & Burton agents Meg Pell has the listing, a Sunpower Design energy-efficient property.

The couple told Fairfax Media the solar-passive efficiency of the home meant very little energy was needed to warm the home in winter, and cool sea breezes blow from the coast to cool the home in summer.

They estimated the return on investment for the photovoltaic system (which converts solar energy to electricity) to break even after 30 years.

But with the demand for energy efficient materials, they now estimate less than 10 years. 

The boutique Quorrobolong, Hunter Valley broodmare farm of Brett and Rachael Howard has been listed after the bloodstock industry couple recently purchased Coronation Park in nearby Mount Vincent.

Their existing 20 hectare Sandy Creek property has been listed through Shelly Jurd of Jurds Real Estate some six years after commencing their specialist broodmare farm. 

Over the past six seasons the farm with views to the Watagan Mountain range across irrigated pastures, has walked out well over 100 mares to the Upper Hunter stallion farms such as Arrowfield, Coolmore, Widden and Yarraman Park, managing to get over 90% of the mares in foal.

“I am not aware of any other properties of its size, containing this amount of horse infrastructure, irrigated pastures, plus with two houses and its lifestyle features, priced under $2 million,” she said.

Brett Howard set up Randwick Bloodstock Agency in 1987, buying the farm in 2006.

Eleuthera, the Exeter farm in NSW, now has a $5 million price guidance, $1.5 million less than when first advertised last September.

The 40 hectare estate is inspired by the modernist architectural forms of the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

It has three bathrooms with stone, glass and masonry.

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

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

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

The property has been listed through Drew Lindsay at Drew Lindsay Real Estate.

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

Belinda Green, the former Miss World, and her farmer husband, Steve Mason have listed their Cowra property, Glen Echo.

Belinda and Steve, who married three years ago at Nyngan during one of their regular Desert Duel charity car rallies, bought the 50 hectare farm in 2004.

It comes with 1896 homestead in established gardens with nearby swimming pond.

They are now looking to downsize.

"If we could shrink it to an acre we'd have been happy to stay until our rocking chair days.

"But in our 11 years we've lived the dream," she said.

"We have never sat still, so now it is time to slow the pace a bit.

"The community means a lot to us, we will always be involved in the community," she added.

The farm, located 16km west of Cowra, 300km from Sydney, was long associated with the Hibberson family.

The property is set for online auction through Meares & Co agent Chris Meares in early November. 

Belinda has had a full life, but is always fondly recalled for her pageantry appearances, winning the 1972 Miss World contest at the age of 20.

She became the second woman from Australia to win the title; the first, Penelope Plummer, was crowned Miss World four years earlier. 

Long retired from pageantry and even her subsequent television work, which included being a Beauty And The Beast panelist, Belinda has busily engaged in charity work, awarded an Order of Australia for services to the community in 2013.

There's also been much of her time rescuing, and caring for, injured and orphaned wildlife, through Wildcare, specialising in looking after kangaroos and wallabies, as featured recently on the cover girl of the Central West Lifestyle magazine.

She's currently studying as a veterinary nurse at Southern Cross Wildlife care centre, an animal hospital at Braidwood.

Their three bedroom Cowra homestead is positioned on the highest point of the property overlooking the farm’s dam and cropping paddocks, currently leased to a local farmer. Its productive acres are suited to grazing sheep and cattle, cash and fodder cropping such as lucerne, canola and oats or spelling horses.

Green, the mother of two daughters from her second marriage, and Steve's three children, prompts them to be increasingly spending time away from the farm, in Sydney and overseas.

This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.

The renowned Morningside property fronting the picturesque Goulburn River in Nagambie, one of Australia’s most successful thoroughbred breeding properties is on the market.

Shane McIntyre at Colliers International National Director of Rural & Agribusiness, has been appointed to sell Morningside.

The 362ha holding has bred, trained or educated over 35 Group 1 winners, including two Melbourne Cups, having been developed by equine veterinary expert Dr Bill Burns.

There is a four-bedroom homestead is surrounded by sweeping lawns overlooking an ornamental lake.

Its improvements including stables, undercover day yards, cattle yards, horse conditioner, machinery and hay shedding complete the purpose-built infrastructure.

There is 6km of Goulburn River frontage.

Offers close October 30.

Anytime Fitness co-founder Jacinta McDonell, who oversees a gym empire of 420 clubs in Australia, has bought Ammamead, a Byron Bay hinterland retreat.

Its a charming classic white Queenslander home on a compact 9000 sqm holding at Federal.

It had been a holiday rental that had consistently yielded over 6% gross with 55% occupancy over the past few years.

But perhaps the clincher for the $2.1 million purchase through Unique Estates agent Nicolette van Wijngaarden was the separate studio which had just been renovated into a health and fitness area with bathroom. 

Ammamead, with an award-winning contemporary extension, was initially renovated around 2001 by architect Sharon Fraser and her builder partner, Steve Esson after the Queenslander had been transported to the property in the 1980s.

Recently refurbished into a luxurious yet relaxed retreat, it comes with a 16 metre salt water inground lap pool.

Jacinta McDonell and her co-founder brother, Justin, have always been involved in the fitness industry, having parents running fitness clubs.

It was in 1992 when they opened their first gym soon out of high school, launching the Anytime Fitness in Australia as master franchisors of the American fitness brand in 2008.

Anytime Fitness Australia has the largest group of clubs outside of the USA, starting with the first club in Gunnedah.

She was recently on Necker, Sir Richard Branson’s private island, as part of the Business Chicks Virgin Unite trip where she spent time with Marianne Williamson, the internationally acclaimed spiritual author.

She lives in Balmain in a cottage bought last spring for $3.3 million through McGrath agent Cindy Kennedy.

Tongy Station, at Cassilis near Merriwa in northern NSW is under offer through Colliers International's Richard Royle.

The offer is being considered by the Victorian establishment Baillieu family who listed the 4637-hectare station with $20 million plus hopes.

Located on the banks of Talbragar River, the property features a sandstone homestead amid manicured gardens which has been their rural retreat for almost 100 years. 

Tongy dates to 1825, when former convict Richard Fitzgerald was granted freehold title of the property by Governor Bourke for his services to the colony through agricultural management. 

The Baillieu family bought the property in 1923 from Fitzgerald's five grand daughters. 

This Australian Dictionary of Biography described Richard Fitzgerald (1772-1840), convict, public servant and settler, as one of the most remarkable men to settle in early New South Wales. 

One of Victoria’s grandest Western Districts rural properties, Chatsworth House overlooking the Hopkins River in Chatsworth has been listed for sale. 

The 1858 trophy home on 2400 hectares was designed by James Fox Esquire, widely acclaimed as the finest example of Victorian architecture in rural Victoria.

The craftsman-built, six-bedroom bluestone homestead totals 1,200sqm living space with grand entrance hall featuring Roman Corinthian style columns, gilded ornate cornices, over door entablatures and original multi-paned skylights. 

The home also features a drawing room, billiards room, ornate formal dining room, office, private library, all with feature marble open fire places.

“Chatsworth House is surrounded by a formal English garden designed by Edward Latrobe Bateman then comprising of more than 5,000 plants and shrubs, now matured into a formal English garden, with magnificent proportion, grand fountains, in-ground pool and entertaining area,” Colliers listing agent Shane McIntyre said.

The property also houses several significant bluestone station outbuildings including renovated men’s quarters incorporating three apartments, renovated coach house and stables, two managers residences, four guest cottages, a significant 10-stand wool shed.

It has a grassed airstrip.

“Chatsworth House is noted for its consistent ability to produce first quality fat lambs, running approximately 8,500 ewes and producing 10,000 lambs, and successfully cropping over 1,000 hectares of cereals and oilseeds per annum,” Mr McIntyre.

Offers close November 20.

The Doughboy Mountain cattle farm in the New England district has been listed by Salter family for November 20 auction.

The farm is redundant to the Angus breeding business started by Salmat marketing company co-founder, Phil Salter in 2007 when Towal Creek Station on the Macleay River on the mid-north coast was bought. 

Consisting of 1,350 hectares between Armidale and Ebor, Doughboy Mountain runs pasture fed quality black Angus with carefully chosen genetics.

With lush paddocks on the Wongwibinda road, Landmark Harcourts Boulton Walcha agent Bruce Rutherford says its an opportunity to purchase the highly regarded property at a time when analysts predict increasing pressure on world food reserves and much higher returns in agriculture.

The farm was bought in 2010 at $6.9 million from the Wright family.

This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph. 

Details on the sale of Tongy Station, the 4,637 ha property located in northern NSW at Merriwa, have started to emerge.

Property Observer reported last week it was under offer having been offered with $20 million plus hopes.

Its buyer has been confirmed as an Sydney investor, amidst strong competition from across Australia and abroad, selling agent, Richard Royle of Colliers International said.

“The buyers, who wish to remain confidential, are a Sydney family with existing rural interests in Australia. It will provide the new owners with an enviable lifestyle and a premium agricultural asset.” 

“We conducted 27 inspections over the five week campaign, and received 13 offers.

"Some  85% of the offers submitted were from domestic buyers, however, we experienced interest from across the globe, ranging from wealthy individuals, to family offices, companies and funds.“

The talk is it has stayed within the establishment family, a familial buyer.

Tongy Station, professionaly managed by Mutual Trust who also assisted with the sale, dates back to the 1820’s, when Richard Fitzgerald, an ex-convict who arrived on the third fleet in 1791, was lead to Tongy by local Aborigines. 

In 1825 he was granted freehold title of Tongy by Governor Bourke for his services to the colony through Agricultural management. W. L. Baillieu, relative to one of the oldest families in Victoria, purchased Tongy in the 1920’s from Richard Fitzgerald’s five granddaughters and it has remained in the Baillieu family ever since.