Ernestina Plains

Land Size: 11,353.86 ha or approximately 28,061 acres

Location: 64 km East of Cloncurry and 73 Km West of Julia Creek along the Flinders Highway.

Special Features: The exceptional infrastructure and mix of country, makes Ernestina Plains a very attractive blue-ribbon property.

Breeding, backgrounding or fattening property

Ernestina Plains is located between Cloncurry and Julia Creek in the tightly held Oorindi district. The turnoff to the house is 64 km East of Cloncurry and 73 Km West of Julia Creek along the Flinders Highway. The property boundary is located 6km in from the highway and the house complex is in another 1.2km.

Ernestina Plains is very well positioned as a breeding, backgrounding or fattening property with good access to the live export cattle markets through Cloncurry or Townsville as well as the meat works, feedlots and store cattle markets to the south. Ernestina Plains is in the tick zone, however with on-farm clearing, movement of cattle across the tick line is possible with a scratch and backline.

Facilities / Services:

Ernestina Plains has rural single-phase power, Telstra landline telephone service, Telstra wireless Internet from nearby Telstra tower, and mobile range over most of the property. Both Cloncurry and Julia Creek have the usual rural shopping, schools, government agency, hospital, cattle yards with weighing facilities and rail trucking facilities.

Rainfall

Cloncurry has an average annual rainfall of 507mm (20”) and Julia Creek has an average of 484mm (19”). Ernestina Plains has had a great start to 2025 already recording 550mm.

Area and Tenure

Freehold

Lot 3 on Crown Plan BD79

Local Government of McKinlay

Rates $3846.44 half yearly

11,353.86 ha or approximately 28,061 acres with a 2 chain Road Reserve of 625 acres through the middle.

Country

Ernestina Plains has open pebbly red chocolate downs country with extensive creek channels. There are 4 varieties of Mitchell grass – Curley, Hoop, Barley & Bull Mitchell, as well as very well established Buffel Grass along the Fullarton River channels and other creek systems. Native grasses such as Queensland Blue and Silky Brown Top are also present, along with a big variety of sweet summer fattening herbages, forbs & salines such as pigweed, button grass and onion vine.

There is no Prickly Acacia or Parkinsonia on Ernestina Plains except for the odd plant that comes in from the neighbours’ properties.

This country has a mix of heavy carrying Mitchell grass downs and well grassed channels to lighter carrying Flinders and sweet claypan type country.

Waters

A feature of Ernestina Plains is the excellent waters with 4 flowing bores, 2 large Dams and many seasonal waterholes in the creek system.

House bore (RN 184219) was drilled in 15/04/2019 to a depth of 243.5 m and flowed at rate of 0.17 l/s. (3231 gallons per day). Even though the bore flows, it is equipped with a Franklin /Aermotor submersible pump that pumps from 30 metres, pumping into two 5,000-gallon polythene Nutanks. The bore tanks are connected to a variable speed Orange pump which services the house. This bore may be connected into the Homestead complex watering system and the Mill Paddock Bore system to supplement these other waters if required.

Mill Paddock Bore (RN 11747) was drilled in 1951 to a depth of 227 metres. Water Resources test on 10/07/2000 showed a flow of 0.1 l/s (1900 gallons per day) but this has improved considerably since the Great Artesian Basin Rehabilitation Scheme was implemented. The bore is equipped with a Comet 22-foot D pattern windmill operating a 3.5 inch flush cap pump at a depth of 15 metres. It supplies water to the following water points.

An adjacent turkey nest (400,000-gallon turkey nest built in 1995 by Corbert Tritton) trough in Ewe paddock (via 2 inch polythene line)
10,000 polythene tank in Mill paddock
30,000 gallon concrete tank in Top Mill Paddock
30,000 gallon concrete tank in Ewe Paddock
5,000 gallon polythene tank in Scrubby Paddock.

When the turkey nest and all the tanks are full, excess water is pumped to a water hole at the Homestead complex. This entire system is connected to the House Bore as a backup in case it is needed to supplement either system. All pipelines in this system are 1.5 inch polythene except the line from the turkey nest to the trough in Ewe Paddock which is 2 inch rural polythene. The line across Scrubby Creek to the concrete tank in Ewe Paddock is 50mm polythene. The windmill was fully reconditioned in 2009. It had a stand-by generator and submersible pump, but this is no longer required even though a generator is still in the enclosed shed.

Bore Paddock Bore /Opossum Camp Bore (RN 2321) was drilled in 1911 to a depth of 216 metres. It was fully refurbished in 1987 when it was relined with 5 inch bore casing, pressure cemented and the aquifer cleaned. It was tested by Water Resources in 10/07/2000 to flow at 4.18 l/s or 79442 gallons per day at 16 PSI and head of 11.23 metres. Flow and pressure have increased considerably since Great Artesian Basin Rehabilitation Scheme. This bore supplies water to 4 x 30,000 gallon concrete tanks in Plain Paddock, Bore Paddock and two in Bottom Paddock via a 50mm polythene pipeline. The bore was equipped in 1987 with a windmill and pump to force water to the tank in Plain Paddock, however this has been decommissioned as bore pressure increased due to the Rehabilitation scheme.

Fullarton Bore / Cattle Yards (RN 26168) was drilled in 27/10/1976 to a depth of 216 metres. Tested by Water Resources Commission in 09/07/2000 at 1.577 l/s (29,972 gallons per day at 8 pounds pressure). Pressure and flow have increased significantly due to Great Artesian Basin Rehabilitation Scheme. This bore fills a 400,000-gallon turkey nest that supplies water via 1.5 inch polythene pipeline to the cattle yards, adjacent water lane, Holding Paddock troughs and 10,000 gallon tank in Little Fullarton Paddock. The windmill was placed over the bore in case a pump was needed to be installed, however, the bore has never needed to be pumped. The turkey nest also supplies water to a Honda pump for an extensive sprinkler system in the cattle yards.

House dam is a 30,000 cubic metre dam sunk in February 1996 to an excavation depth of 40 feet. It is equipped with Comet windmill and 3.5 inch siphon pump and Southern Cross 1.5 inch helical rotor pump driven by Kubota engine. Both pumps deliver water from the dam to 5,000 gallon Southern Cross tank on a high stand. The tank is lined with 3.2 mm polythene sheeting. This system supplies water to the house garden, staff quarters and 2 troughs in House Paddock and Top Holding Paddock. It is also interconnected to the watering system in Ram Paddock on an as needs basis. The Dam fills naturally from the catchment. When the by-wash is full, a gate valve on the inlet pipe can be shut and the dam can be pumped higher via a Kubota engine driving a 4-inch self-priming centrifugal pump adjacent to the waterhole. Suction and delivery piping is 6-inch PVC. When the dam is full it will last up to 3 years.

House Water Hole is a small water hole in Sheep Station Creek near the house complex. It is equipped with a Southern Cross 10 foot IZ pattern windmill with a 3 inch siphon pump and supplies water to a 10,000 gallon corrugated iron tank in Ram Paddock. The tank is lined with 3.2 mm polythene sheeting. This windmill and pump can also pump to a tank on a high stand on an as needs basis.

Fullarton Paddock Dam was desilted in 2018 and now measures 8,000 cubic metres. It is equipped with a Comet 12-foot windmill operating a 3.5 inch siphon pump to fill a 10,000-gallon polythene tank to feed a trough via a 2 inch polythene pipeline in the water lane at the Dam.

Tanks

6 x 30,000-gallon concrete tanks were built on site in 1987 by Jennings Concrete. They were lined with 3.2 mm polythene sheeting in 2007. This measure to line the tanks was taken with the view for long term preservation.

There are also 3 x 10,000-gallon poly tanks and 3 x 5,000-gallon poly tanks.

There are approximately 20 troughs of various length and type.

Creeks and River Systems

Ernestina Plains has several creek systems with the major ones being Sheep Station, Scrubby and Middle Creeks. These creeks and the Fullarton River run through the property from South to North and have very beneficial seasonal water holes along them. The large hole in Bore Paddock usually lasts up to 7 to 8 months with several other water holes usually lasting 3 to 4 months depending on the time of the run. A year like this with late rain and cooler months would mean these times would all be extended. In a good wet season approximately 60% of country will flood out but at no danger to livestock

Fencing

The boundary fences are all in excellent condition and consist of 4 barbs with steel pickets placed 6m apart. The oldest section is 20 years old and the newest is only 5 years old. The internal fencing is in good to very good condition and is a mixture of 3 & 4 barb, ringlock with 2 barbs or 4 plain & 2 barb.

Cattle Yards

Good solid all steel section in the centre of the yards with a force, a pound draft, a race, cattle crush, calf race and calf cradle. The outside yards are very strong with 8 cable and a heavy top rail. There are 3 solid cement troughs with a large supply of water located in the yards and a very good sprinkler system supplied from the turkey nest and Honda pump in a small shed at the yards. There is a large steel frame shed at the cattle yards for hay or vehicles. Triple trailer access from the Flinders Highway to the cattle yards is via a neighbouring property to the South.

Homestead Complex

The fully air-conditioned 3-bedroom homestead has been well maintained and is set in a lovely award-winning native garden with attractive lawn, shrubs and trees. There is a large office, lounge, dining room and a stylish modern kitchen. The house also has 2 built-in verandahs and an open verandah off the kitchen for entertaining.

A separate outside undercover area has a coldroom with attached butcher’s room, a laundry, and a 2 room donga.

There is a 9-bedroom quarters building with three airconditioned rooms. It is in very good condition and is located at the far end of the complex. There is a downstairs laundry and ablution block beside these quarters.

Ernestina Plains has a very good backup generator system with a 28 KVA and a 16.5 KVA generators housed in a shed beside the two overhead fuel tanks.

There is plenty of shed space with a large machinery shed, vehicle shed, workshop and saddle shed. An old woolshed has been converted into a storage shed.

There is a small set of horse yards with a loading ramp, a pig pen and a fully enclosed chook pen and vegie garden.

Carrying Capacity:

Vendors estimated that Ernestina Plains will comfortably carry up to 900 breeders plus progeny and up to 200 steers in an average season.

Livestock & Plant:

Ernestina Plains will be offered for sale WIWO with 962 head of exceptionally good quality branded cattle, and extensive plant and equipment. Cattle numbers will be as per May 2025 muster and include 473 Cows, 125 calves, 11 bulls, 132 heifers and 221 steers.

The very good quality Caiwarra blood Brahman cattle are in a forward store to prime condition and are very quiet and well-handled. These cattle are mostly mustered with horses and some light bike use.

A Cat 130 G grader, Isuzu truck and a Case 1840 Skid steer loader are part of the well-maintained plant. A full list of furniture, plant and equipment included in the sale will be available at inspection.

Agents Remarks:

The vendors have presented an outstanding freehold property that has a very good mix of country. The sweet pebbly open downs country is balanced by the many channels with high grass density giving quality and quantity of pasture. The 4 flowing bores, 2 of which can be interconnected and the large water storages, give incredibly good water security over the property. Excellent boundary fences, very good internal fences and no Prickly Acacia are other great features of Ernestina Plains.

Not often do you a get a chance to purchase a property with such good improvements where all the hard work has been done and no immediate capital expenditure is required. The exceptional infrastructure and mix of country, makes Ernestina Plains a very attractive blue-ribbon property.

“Ernestina Plains” – Oorindi

Auction

15th July 2025 at The Precinct, Cloncurry

More Information Call Jim or Tom