Cow country prices hold up

Jo Studdert | October 09, 2008 FOR all the pain from drought experienced in most of rural Australia, dairy land in the south and east is holding up unexpectedly well. Properties with reliable water access are not merely selling quickly, they are showing some capital gain. Buyers from interstate and overseas, especially New Zealand, are keeping activity high. "We have a 960-acre dairy property, Dwarroon, near Warrnambool, Victoria, which is exactly the sort of thing New Zealand dairy farmers love," said Landmark Victoria marketing manager Rikk Donlen. "It's a big farm, carrying 600 cows at present, but able to take more and even though it is dry land, it has good access to water. "A New Zealand buyer saw the advertisement on Monday and was here in Warrnambool, looking, by Friday." Such keenness is not surprising considering... [read full story]