The almost 500ha farming property at 1200 Princes Highway, Mount Moriac, takes in most of the volcanic feature, including the peak at 251m above sea level.
An entire western Victorian mountain top is up for grabs as a historic farming property hits the market for the first time in 85 years.
Nearly 500ha of land surrounds the top of Mount Moriac, a prominent peak reaching 251m above sea level west of Geelong.
Mount Moriac is described as an inclined low cone, a volcanic eruption point that’s part of a sequence of volcanic landforms that area spread across Victoria’s Western District, making the land so fertile for agriculture.
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The Champness family has owned the “the mount” for four generations, having built the landholding since 1939 in the district where there’s a popular pub on the highway, a recreation reserve and an memorial to artist Arthur Streeton, who was born in the area.
HF Richardson Newtown agent Matt Poustie said the 485ha property was expected to attract interest in the vicinity of $18m, calculated on a quoted land rate of $15,000 per acre.
“That’s the whole mount itself,” Mr Poustie said of the property at 1200 Princes Highway, Mount Moriac.
“It’s pretty exciting – the Champness family have had it for 85 years and the patriarch of the family, Dr Len Champness passed away a little while ago, so the family has decided to sell the property.”
The almost 500ha farming property at 1200 Princes Highway, Mount Moriac, takes in most of the volcanic feature, including the peak at 251m above sea level.
The Mount Moriac peak is near the centre of the property, which is ideal for cropping and grazing.
The farm has been divided into four titles ahead of the sale – Mount Moriac, and Mount Moriac North, East and West – with individual parcels measuring between 87ha and 154ha, or the 485.56ha in its entirety.
“It splits up farming buyers looking at a larger aggregation of more than 1000 acres to open up the market to lifestyle buyers,” Mr Poustie said.
“Having the option to buy 200, 300 or 350-acre blocks in the Barrabool Hills is obviously pretty rare.
“The benefit of these is they have views – all of them. There’s plenty of natural home sites on each of the allotments.
Views stretch far from Mount Moriac across Geelong to the You Yangs and beyond to the north.
“When you’re standing at the top of the mount, you can see everything – Torquay, Barwon Heads, Bellarine, Peninsula, Corio Bay, You Yangs Melbourne, Mount Elephant out to the northwest and Colac. You’re a long way up.”
Mr Poustie said interest has been solid already in the farm.
The property has a 1940s era brick homestead on the property that Mr Poustie said has soul but needs renovation, plus a separate manager’s cottage from a bygone era, a two-stand shearing shed, a machinery shed and other shedding.
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