The breathtaking 700ha property called ‘Banool’ presents a conundrum for those of us who write about property; it is at once a romantic, ridiculously beautiful piece of earth, while also presenting a thriving business concern.
The breathtaking 700ha property called ‘Banool’ presents a conundrum for those of us who write about property; it is at once a romantic, ridiculously beautiful piece of earth, while also presenting a thriving business concern. It is linear versus nonlinear for those of the data generation.
It is impossible to view the archive of lush property images without feeling a tug on your heart.
It offers the quintessential Australian high country experience; it’s Man from Snowy River, and John Wilson oil paintings and Waltzing Matilda all rolled up in an emerald green blanket, overlooked by the snow- capped and majestic Mt Kosciuszko.
Proudly placed on a high point of Banool (the property is 665m above sea level) is a simple plaque which commemorates a not so simple accomplishment. It was from this point that intrepid colonial explorers Hume and Hovell first spotted the Snowy Mountain ranges, during their 1824 expedition to discover inland Australia.
History aside, ‘Banool’ is also about commercial realities.
The 700 hectares experience reliable and abundant rainfall (even during this period of drought), resulting in pastures of fertile basalt and granite soils, expertly maintained livestock yards and 7km of exclusion fencing.
John Bauer runs sheep and some cattle on this land, a property that’s been in his family since 1953.
He’s been on it since 1970, and despite being a man of few words, he readily declares “I love it.
The very first time I saw it, I knew this was home.
No matter where in the world you go, you’re glad to get home here.”
Mr Bauer is reluctant to boast about how well his property and stock are faring during a drought that has ravaged much of the country.
“Some are doing it tough,” he says. “We’re always sweet here, I can’t complain.”
The high rainfall is supported by 12 spring fed dams, two permanent creeks and a bore with a 115,000L tank.
There’s a four bedroom contemporary home, in fact everything they need is at hand.
Indeed the family has stayed close as well.
The Bauer children didn’t go to boarding school, they were well served by the Tumbarumba school system – in fact the whole family feels part of the tight knit, high country community. With Wagga Wagga an hour away, and Canberra just a 280klm drive away, it is far from isolated, despite the wide open spaces.
Mr Bauer and his wife are not leaving farming entirely, they’re just downsizing to a smaller “lifestyle” block where, according to Mr Bauer, they will spend their ‘golden years’ – a statement he could not complete without laughing just a little.
He won’t be drawn into who is most likely to buy his place “It could be a Pitt Street farmer, or a neighbour – or maybe someone coming in from the West, looking for reliable rain fall….”
There could be no better place on earth to do just that.
