Expressions of Interest for the Hillston property close in April.

Merrowie, 15 kilometres west of Hillston, has hit the market, as its US owners MERS Global Investments LLC offers the cropping, grazing and horticulture property aggregation for sale.

The sale is rumored to fetch $200 million.

The lands span 34,523 hectares (ha) across two properties and a grain handling facility – known as Merrowie (32,778ha), Sunland (1,738ha) and Merrowie Grain Facility (7ha). 

The sale also includes 35,938 megalitres of secure water entitlements, sourced from regulated water sources including Groundwater and the Lachlan River (both High Security and General Security).

According to selling agents the aggregation produced more than 33,000 bales of cotton, 25,000 tonnes of winter crops, 18,000 tonnes of beetroot and sweet corn, and 290 bales of wool, in the 2023-24 financial year.

The recently developed 450ha almond orchard will allow commercial almond production commence this year, with an additional 335ha earmarked for future almond and pistachio production, of which 250ha is already significantly developed in preparation for almond tree planting in 2025.

The aggregation’s livestock enterprise is managed across 18,949ha of grazing land on Merrowie and includes a self-replacing Merino flock and Angus herd.

The Merrowie Grain Facility, with a storage capacity for up to 32,100 tonnes of grain (cereals and pulse), including 5,400 tonnes of grain silo storage and 26,700 tonnes of bunker storage, as well as 260 tonnes of fertiliser storage.

Mers Global Investments LLC bought Merrowie in April 2019, from Twynham Agricultural Group, which was founded in the 1970s by John Kahlbetzer Snr. 

The 2019 deals to acquire the three Lachlan Valley properties were the first to happen after Australia’s federal government began imposing stricter foreign investment regulations in association with agricultural and electricity assets.

The rules, which have been in effect by Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) ever since, state that any agricultural property with a valuation exceeding $15 million must be nationally advertised through a marketing campaign lasting 30 days to ensure equal opportunities for domestic buyers.

The Merrowie and Sunland Aggregation is being offered for sale by Expressions of Interest closing 12pm (AEDT) Thursday 17 April 2025.