Mr Heinemann, co-founder of Ray White Rural, will work alongside Landmark Harcourts CEO, Darren Cole, in the role of Director of Rural Growth across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Bringing deep experience and an exceptional depth of knowledge, Mr Heinemann will drive recruitment and sales for the group’s north east division, as well as strengthening corporate and institutional relationships, and developing receivership work.

“Having Lex on board is a real coup for Landmark Harcourts. Given his enviable reputation in the industry as well as his extensive knowledge and contacts, I have no doubt that he will make an outstanding contribution to our network,” Mr Cole said.

Mr Heinemann has specialised in rural property sales for over 40 years and has been involved in sales of diverse and substantial pastoral groups. His client network is very active and includes various rural industry identities.

Prior to co-founding Ray White Rural, Mr Heinemann spent 15 years with national rural business, Dalgety which eventually formed Landmark in the early 2000s.

“Lex has strong ties to the Landmark business so it’s great to have him back on board to drive growth in the brand’s newest phase.

“I will be working closely with Lex as we strengthen our position in both Queensland and the Northern Territory,” Mr Cole said.

“This is an exciting time for the Landmark Harcourts business and our performance over the past year has been solid with a year-on-year uplift of 32 per cent.

“Comparatively, two of our largest competitors reported declines of 11 per cent and 6 per cent respectively over this period, whilst Herron Todd White – the national valuation firm – reported a national rural sales volume decline of 45 per cent,” Mr Cole said.

“Landmark Harcourts are already Australia’s fastest growing regional and rural real estate brand and Lex’s involvement will only strengthen our position further,” Mr Cole added.

The office, previously known as Harcourts Gympie, officially re-branded under the Landmark Harcourts banner on the 11^th of April and will bring the office in line with the group’s more than 150 locations across Australia.

Gympie local, Nathan O’Neill will continue in his role of business owner and is proud to join the Landmark Harcourts team.

“Operating under the Landmark Harcourts banner will give our office more exposure and support in the regional and rural real estate sector in Queensland and will allow us to provide more comprehensive service to our clients,” Mr O’Neill said.

“We are truly excited that Nathan and his team have made the move to Landmark Harcourts. They are a professional and committed team looking for an edge to grow their business and help give greater service to the people of Gympie and the surround areas,” said Darren Cole, CEO of Landmark Harcourts.

“This move will enable Nathan and the Gympie team greater opportunities to help people both in the residential and commercial segments as well as opening doors to assist more of the rural and lifestyle customers in the region,” Mr Cole said.

“Despite a challenging 2012 across Australia’s regional and rural markets, Landmark Harcourts are up 32 per cent against our own performance year on year.

“We have attracted a number of terrific performers to our group, who felt that they could derive great value from our unique brand which combines a strong knowledge base and great relationships in regional Australia from the Landmark perspective and Harcourts’ leading systems, support and culture,” Mr Cole added.

Landmark Harcourts is a joint venture between Landmark and Harcourts. Since its establishment in May 2011, Landmark Harcourts has grown to become Australia’s leading regional and rural real estate brand.

“We are our own hardest markers as we continue to build momentum in building Australia’s best regional and rural real estate business,” said Darren Cole, CEO of Landmark Harcourts, in relation to the firm’s results in the January to March period.

“Our performance over the past year has been solid, with a year-on-year uplift of 32 per cent.

“To put this into context, two of our largest competitors reported declines of 11 per cent and six per cent respectively, whilst Herron Todd White – the national valuation firm – reported a national rural sales volume decline of 45 per cent in 2012, year-on-year.”

Seventy one per cent of the network’s volume for the year was made up of rural property, with the remainder coming from growing regional residential and lifestyle sales, and property management business.

“It’s a solid result on the back of a lot of consistent hard work and application from our team on the field that are doing their absolute best to deliver value to their client,” Mr Cole commented.

“We are coming up to 24 months since the joint venture [with Harcourts] commenced,” he said. “We have been quite measured and considered in just doing our very very best to get the foundations of the business right, and now we are starting to see some of the results come through.

“We are moving from the foundation stage to powering up our growth. ”

This year marks the 22^nd year of the Orange F.O.O.D Week, celebrating of the local produce of the shires of Orange, Cabonne and Blayney. The annual event brings together the farmer, the chef and the foodie alike, in sharing the food experience.

The 10-day spectacular comes together again from 12 – 21 April2013, making it one of Australia’s longest running food events.

The city of Orange, located 3.5 – 4 hours drive west from Sydney in Central West NSW, provides the perfect picturesque landscape and quality local produce to support and lend its name to this fantastic event. The FOOD in F.O.O.D week stands for Food of Orange District. Ironically, Orange is too cold to grow oranges, but other produce are local favourites including apples to stone fruit and berries, and of course grapes that are producing some very high quality wines.

The ever-growing reputation of fine food and brilliant wine from the “food basket” of NSW is built on the backbone of local produce, passionate people and cooking mastery – and this is exactly the focus of FOOD Week this year. It is shaping up as the biggest event yet, with the gathering of both connoisseurs and novices culminating in over 100 food and wine related events.

Over 10 days, the public can come along and meet the farmers, chefs and hospitality staff who encapsulate the passion of this thriving industry. The spirit of the festival is celebrating the gastronomic delights available throughout the region.

This year, FOOD Week will open with a fantastic night market in Robertson Park. This showcases a sample of the vast array of local food and wine available during the week and all year round.

More adventurous foodies can embark on “Forage”, a 3.5km moveable feast on a walk through beautiful countryside and vineyards. The trail is punctuated with wine and food stations every 500m or so. Ticket holders can enjoy six courses from Borenore to Nashdale, cooked by some of the finest chefs Orange has to offer.

For the less adventurous, the 100-mile dinner brings together 300 diners on the village green in Molong, showcasing food and wine from seven local towns.

Sunday Producers’ Market and the F.O.O.D Train are just two of the plethora of intriguing events in the 2013 program.

Food Week is set to grow in size from 2012, so get in early as tickets sold out within several days last year.

For program details, merchandise and to book tickets on line, visit the event website at: www.orangefoodweek.com.au

Story by Sheryl Allen

Landmark Harcourts is building an extensive network of Real Estate Agencies across North East Victoria and Southern New South Wales, with the launch of its latest franchise at Wodonga complimenting its existing nearby offices at Lavington and Baranduda.

“We’re extremely excited with the opening of our new office at High Street, Wodonga.  Our new franchisee, Sue Edmunds and her team, will service the Wodonga, Albury and surrounding districts residential, lifestyle and rental property markets whilst our existing Lavington and Barunduda offices operated by Brian Liston and Roger Bramley will continue to serve the rural sector” said Jason Hellyer, Franchise Manager for Landmark Harcourts Victoria and Southern New South Wales.

“We feel the combination of these locations staffed by specialist Real Estate Agents with skills and knowledge in either residential, lifestyle or rural markets will provide local residents in Wodonga and Albury, and the farming community throughout the region, with an unprecedented level of service and success”.

“The local network of three offices will operate as “One Team”, sharing their knowledge and using their extensive network of contacts to ensure fast and efficient transactions for all clients.”

Mr Hellyer went on to say; “Throughout the North East, we now have Landmark Harcourts offices at Benalla, Wangaratta, Cobram, Lavington, Baranduda, Wodonga and we’re looking to open an office in Yarrawonga in the first half of this year”.

We took a look at several regional markets within the QantasLink network for their 2012 median property values (see above table).  Currently, the most expensive of the locations we included is Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast with a residential median value of $400,000. An investment of $400,000 in Yeppoon could see you with the keys to a three to four bedroom home near the coast, whereby in Melbourne you’ll be able to afford a two to three bedroom inner city flat or a modest brick veneer home in the suburbs.

Research is the crucial key to making sound investment decisions, particularly with respect to property investment in regional and rural locations around Australia. For example, the residential median value figures to support this article were researched from reliable sources such as local Councils, Chambers of Commerce, Government agencies and real estate portals that provide free and accessible information on the internet. Additional information pertaining to regional population forecasts, demographics, government and council planning policies that may directly affect your investment decision can also be obtained using the internet or by engaging the services of local estate agents or buyers advocates in the regions you’re researching.

By Jason Hellyer

With the principal vendor being the University of Adelaide, the offering represented the university’s divestment of its rural holdings.

The three properties:

Moralana – 61,900Ha prime cattle station near Hawker, SA; prized location, ample water, significant improvements.

Munduney – 7,510Ha sheep property near Spalding, SA; magnificent and historic property with outstanding improvements.

Martindale – 2,571Ha sheep property near Mintaro, SA, well-located in the dress circle of SA’s mid north region.

Simon McIntyre, Landmark Harcourt’s Regional Manager, Real Estate South East Region, explained that Munduney was of particular note.

“Munduney was on the market for the first time since the first portion of it was purchased in 1869. This was a unique opportunity for a purchaser to secure a well-located, productive and diversified rural property which included a grand and historic double-storey homestead.”

“The transaction represents the largest rural sale in South Australia in the last five years.”

“The Landmark Harcourts team devised and implemented a marketing program over an 18-month period to successfully achieve an aggregate sales figure exceeding $50 million.”

“In what is considered to be a very challenging time in the rural market, the vendors acknowledged this as an outstanding result.”

What made the difference in this sale? According to Simon, there were several key aspects that set this successful sale apart.

“Munduney is one of the largest cropping and grazing properties offered in South Australia for some time,” he said.

“The properties were each impeccably presented and well-managed over several years, making them extremely attractive to prospective buyers.”

“Given the diversity of the properties and the rural market, we deployed a range of marketing strategies to achieve the desired result. The marketing program was consistent, sustained and extensive, exposing the offering to a wide range of prospects.”

“It’s a fantastic outcome for our vendor and for our team, who worked long and collaboratively to make it all happen.”

By Sheryl Allen

Mirage Plains – totaling 43,000ha of prime organic farming and livestock land near Cunnumulla in South Western Queensland – is listed on behalf of R.M. Williams Agricultural Holdings, an innovative company focused on food production, alternative energy solutions, organic land management, and land restoration programs.

R.M. Williams was established in 1932 and has developed a loyal following both here and internationally as a bush outfitter with a strong association to Australia’s national identity and outback heritage.

It’s a natural progression for the brand to diversify into publishing and agricultural production with a focus on sustainability.
According to Phil Rourke, Landmark Harcourts NSW Real Estate Manager, this property has all the hallmarks of having been operated with strong commercial and environmental responsibility.

“Mirage Plains is an aggregation of six properties which have achieved organic certification of compliance for the production of cattle, cereal, grains, hay, lamb, legumes, soya beans and wheat,” explained Phil. “They have been used to produce organic grains that supply the Inglewood Farms to support its organic poultry production operations.”

“Mirage Plains has a good balance of country ranging from arable country along the Warrego River which has been developed for pivot irrigation, treeless open plains, natural grazing country with a good cover of Mitchell grass and red grass, plus a flood-out country at Mowellan to the west which acts as a refuge for livestock during periods of flood.”

The uniqueness of Mirage Plains is contained within its natural topography. Irrigation water sourced from the Warrego River to the north of the property can be gravity fed to all the existing and potential irrigation developments.

The property has improved the farming economics and water efficiency through the installation of six pivot circles, with each 80 hectares of cultivation.

The properties are for sale by Expression of Interest for purchase individually or as a whole, including the 32,800ML Warrego River Licence.

“The large allocation of water available to purchase with the property offers the opportunity to further unlock its irrigation potential,” added Phil.

Significant water entitlements, Warrego River frontage, freehold titles, organic accreditation and economy of scale all add up to Mirage Plains being a most impressive development opportunity.

Phil Rourke M: 0418667 659

At the event, which was held at Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast, they scooped up 3 of the awards in the Top 20 Sales Consultant category.

John Stringer, from Euroa in Victoria, was rewarded for a productive 12 months by taking out 19^th place in the coveted Top 20 Sales Consultant category.

To put these awards into perspective one needs to understand that these top achievers have competed against 1100 real estate agents within Australia and over 5100 internationally. To receive a Top 20 award places these individuals in the top 2% in the Harcourts group.

In 17^th position was Michael Warren. Michael is a director of Landmark Harcourts Tasmania and he specialises in selling only rural property.

Colin Medway, from Landmark Harcourts Yass in NSW was the standout salesperson in the Landmark Harcourts network. Colin, not only sells real estate but also looks after a team of 18 people in his Yass business. Supported by Trish Brewer, Mr Medway took out 3^rd place in the Top 20 category only narrowly missing a place in the Top 10 International Sales Consultant category. Darren Cole, CEO of Landmark Harcourts, is incredibly proud of the award winners and was pleased to be in attendance at the Awards Ceremony to recognize their efforts.

Mr Cole remarked’ “My team and I are extremely pleased to see so many Landmark Harcourts sales consultants represented in the Top 20.”

“Colin, Michael and John are incredibly hard working and client focused and as a result they have triumphed in a difficult marketplace,” Mr Cole said.

One of the Tamar Valley’s showpiece properties, Redwood at Batman Bridge, has been put on the market.

Redwood, a 90ha property bounded on the northern side by Whirlpool Reach and Redwood Bay in the Tamar River and on the southern side by the Batman Highway adjoining the Batman Bridge reserve, was originally part of the historic Spring Bay estate which exported Tasmania’s first apples to the UK.

The land was bought at auction in 1993 and developed by its current owners, recently retired Fairfax newspapers senior executive Lloyd Whish-Wilson and his wife Judy.

It is currently used as an Angus cattle stud and for horse breeding and agistment. The owners say they wish to pursue new interests, and believe the property is ready for further development.

Redwood has title to high-tide mark along more than a kilometre of Tamar foreshore. Much of this has been fenced by the current owners.

The four-bedroom house is surrounded by one of Tasmania’s outstanding native gardens, which featured in the Open Gardens scheme. The garden and property abound with Tasmanian animals and birdlife, and provide outstanding views of the Tamar Valley.

The property is subdivided with electric fencing and has abundant natural water. It has a good fertilizer history, which includes the use of organic seaweed-based soil conditioners as well as mulching. Pastures are fescue, ryegrasses, and clovers. Infrastructure includes stockyards; a barn, hayshed, and a garage with adjoining workshop.

Redwood is being sold through Expressions of Interest.

Inspection is by appointment only.

Selling agents are Michael Warren and John Hewitt, of Landmark Harcourts Tasmania.