BYRIMINE STATION, MOUNT SURPRISE

BYRIMINE STATION, MOUNT SURPRISE

VERSATILE GRAZING, FARMING & BACKGROUNDING MOUNT SURPRISE

At 4106 ha Byrimine Station presents several opportunities. As a unique piece of Australia, the station offers “Big Oasis” and Fossilbrook Creek frontage which lend themselves heavily to a unique tourism experience. The overall country type is diverse and productive cattle country with a farming upside…

Featuring:

• FREEHOLD

• Fossilbrook Creek with year-round flow

• Farming opportunity – Irrigation license & PMAV

• Tourism opportunity

• Abundant underground water

• Fertile soils

• Strong pastures

• Excellent location

Area & Tenure:

Area 4106 ha (10142 acres)

Freehold … Lot 2 SP 315816

Country:
The overall topography of the property is described as flat to undulating basalt country interspersed by basalt ridges. A small ridge called Collins Lookout is located toward the absolute north-east of the property, not far from Fossilbrook Creek and the Springfield Station boundary.

The land types range from timbered red and black basalt soils to alluvial seasonal creek frontages, fertile Fossilbrook frontage and the Collins Lookout granite ridge. There is a large amount of black soil country throughout Byrimine Station.

The basalt and red soils are timbered with Box, Ironbark, Bloodwood, Cabbage Gum, Black Tea Tree, Cocky Apple and Whitewood and dominant native pasture grasses include Black Spear, Forest Blue, Golden Beard, Plum Sorghum and Giant Spear Grass. Due to the shallow water table Black Tea Tree ‘clumps’ are present throughout the property. Creek frontages are timbered with large Paperbark and granite soils are timbered with Ironbark and associated Wattles, Quinine and Ironwood.

Big Oasis is a 100 acre feature located in the NE of the property. This area has a natural spring and very shallow water table thus providing a ‘wonderland’ of year-round green couch pastures, shady Oak & Fig trees and is a mecca for cattle in the dry season. A herd of wild Water Buffalo and Red Deer can be found grazing on this and Fossilbrook swamps.

Improved Pastures:

As with Savannah Station, there is stylo coverage throughout the red & granite soils however, there appears to be no major presence of introduced grass species. The country is healthy and certainly lends itself to pasture improvement.

Typically, these basalt soils are higher in phosphorus so potential establishment of Leuceana over much of the more ‘open’, less rocky, land might be a very viable value-adding option.

 The nearby DAAF Redlands Leuceana trial and the success of Rocky Springs leuceana establishment would indicate there may be potential to plant many thousands of acres more on the open red and black soils of Byramine Station. Refer the Leucaena Network www.leucaena.net

 Further seeding with Seca and Verano Stylos, along with Urachloa, would seem to be an obvious choice for improved pasture and animal performance. The granite soils of Collins Lookout already have an extensive stylo presence.

Farming:

Agronomic advice coupled with recent soil tests indicate a farming option for horticulture, or forage is possible in the area denoted by the PMAV on Fossilbrook Creek.

There is an irrigation license pertaining to this area and Fossilbrook Creek.

Regulated Veg Management Area:

The ‘Veg Map’ shows and area of ‘white Category X area’ within the PMAV and adjacent the NE Boundary with Springfield.

The area under PMAV could be developed for irrigated Horticulture or dryland/irrigated Forage cropping to supply silage or hay for the property needs, or sale elsewhere.

Water:

The water supply both below and above ground is quite unbelievable!

Byrimine Station has the major flowing permanent spring fed Fossilbrook Creek which arises from the Whitewater Spring to the south-west in Whitewater Station.

Man-made waters in the areas not serviced by the creek/spring network include 3 bores equipped with mains power or solar pumps, polypipe and well-located troughs and tanks. The land typically slopes east-to-west with a 1% fall thus facilitating gravitational water flow.

Though individual bores vary, as a general rule the bores are about 30 metres +/- in depth.

Licenses & Easements:

• Water License Fossilbrook Ck – 240 megalitres

Homestead:

There is no homestead or buildings on the property.

Rainfall:
Local records indicate a reliable annual average rainfall of approx 764mm (30 inches).

Cattle Numbers:

There are no cattle included in this sale.

Carrying Capacity:

The vendor estimates that Byrimine might be capable of a sustainable carrying capacity of approximately 700 Adults (AE), or up to 1000 mixed cattle. The property has historically been used as a breeding unit however the soils and pasture also indicate it would be strong enough, in its present state, to grow young cattle to typical live export weights.

The inclusion of large scale Leuceana establishment would almost certainly provide upside.

Fencing:

Byrimine is roughly rectangular in shape and is boundaried to the north by Fossilbrook Station (Springfield Station), to the west by both Springfield and Savannah Stations, to the east by Whitewater Station, and to the south by the Gulf Development Highway (Rocky Springs).

Byrimine is fenced into 8 paddocks. Fencing is stock-proof 3-barb fencing on the Whitewater and Springfield boundaries, new 4-barb fencing on the Savannah boundary and sound 3-barb along the Rocky Springs boundary.

Yards:

There are no cattle yards on the property.

Quarry:

There is a significant, partially developed gravel quarry located on the property, and owned by the property. Product from this quarry can be used for ‘own’ use without approvals.

Tourism potential:

Byrimine Station, in particular offers a tourism opportunity. Nearby the Savannahlander tourist train service http://www.savannahlander.com.au/ travels to Mt Surprise on a weekly ‘Outback Odyssey’ enroute Cairns, Chillagoe, Mt Surprise, Einasleigh and Forsayth where tourists access the existing Undara Lava Tubes, Cobbold Gorge and other outback experiences.

Additionally, the road-based tourist traffic within the Nth Qld region exceeds 500,000 visitors annually.

AUCTION 20TH OCTOBER 2020

For more information 

Phone Henry Now

Henry Slaney
• T: 07 4787 1811
• M: 0429 872 985
• AH: 07 4787 2985