Porter family’s Childerley Park farm near Naracoorte for sale
The homestead at Childerley Park near Naracoorte. Picture: Supplied by TDC Livestock & Property
One of South Australia’s prominent farming dynasties has put a huge agricultural property in the state’s South-East on the market after close to 100 years of ownership.
The Porter family is looking to offload the 1654ha landholding, known as Childerley Park, which is located about 10km north of Naracoorte.
Established by pastoralist and stockbroker Frederick Porter, the property is currently run by the third and fourth generations of the family, including former federal Liberal MP James Porter.
He said the sale would enable the family to “consolidate our agricultural, horticultural and viticultural interests in the Coonawarra”.
The expansive property is used to grow cereal, beans and canola. Picture: Supplied by TDC Livestock & Property
The family’s interests in the Coonawarra region include the Bundalong vineyard, which it has held for close to 70 years.
Childerley Park is a mixed farming operation with a long history as a grazing enterprise for both sheep and cattle. It has a current stocking rate of 12.4 DSE (dry sheep equivalent) per hectare.
The property also supports cereal, beans and canola production, while several paddocks are secured to grow hay.
A five-bedroom stone homestead and renovated three-bedroom cottage are also part of the offering.
Selling agent Tom Pearce from TDC Livestock and Property said Childerley Park was a “true mixed farming enterprise”, offering a “great balance of productive plains complemented by sheltered range country”.
“The South-East of South Australia is renowned for its reliability with both favourable rainfall, general climate and the incredible asset of underground water,” he said.
Childerley Park has a long history as a grazing property for sheep and cattle. Picture: Supplied by TDC Livestock & Property
“Childerley Park is a rare offering of a large-scale mixed farming operation located in the highly regarded Naracoorte area and is in close proximity to markets and abattoirs.
“The property is contained within multiple titles. Whilst as a whole Childerley Park offers rare scale, it does lend itself to be broken up. There are six smaller titles ranging from seven to nine hectares with highway frontage that definitely have lifestyle appeal.”
Additional infrastructure on the property includes a woolshed with upgraded sheep and cattle yards, a workshop, grain storage and shedding.
Expressions of interest close on November 9.
James Porter won a seat in the House of Representatives at the 1975 election, when Malcolm Fraser secured a landslide victory over Gough Whitlam.
He later served as a shadow minister in several portfolios including Aboriginal affairs, health, family and community services, and housing and public administration, before he was defeated for preselection for the 1990 election by his successor Ian McLachlan.
