Landmark NSW river frontage property hits the market after 36 years

Spanning 323.74 hectares across 22 titles, Riverview Farm is at 79, 81, and 249 Elliots Road, Nabiac in NSW and delivers a combination of productive agricultural land, a substantial sand deposit, abundant freshwater and 6.5km of Wallambah River frontage - a combination which is increasingly rare east of the Pacific Highway.

The property is being marketed by Ray White Manning Valley principal Rob Chapman and goes under the hammer on 27 February.

Frank Ma, who purchased the property with wife Rosemary in 1990, says the decision to sell was not made lightly.

The couple who live in China said when they first bought the farm they knew it was “something special”.

“It has beautiful alluvial flats, and water that sits just two to three feet below the surface - even through that five-year drought, we never once had a shortage.

“It is an absolutely beautiful spot."

The Ma family has steadily consolidated the holding over the decades, acquiring adjoining lots over a period of years to build the property to its current impressive scale of 22 titles.

The property supports a commercial beef cattle operation and can carry 250 plus cattle.

However, one bull and 87 breeding cows will be offered as part of the sale, as well as equipment including tractors and slashers.

“We have built this up over many years - what started as one purchase grew as neighbouring lots became available, and we were able to acquire them one by one,” Mr Ma said.

“We also secured some former crown land and unmade road reserves, which helped us consolidate the boundaries beautifully.”

One of the property's features is a substantial sand deposit located on the western end of the holding - the remnants of an ancient beach to the Pacific Ocean.

The deposit represents a significant commercial opportunity for the incoming purchaser, subject to the relevant approvals, Mr Ma said.

“We have had interest from sand mining operators, and we believe it represents genuine commercial value for the right buyer,” he said.

There are two three-bedroom caretaker cottages, which are currently tenanted, and serviced by an on-site pump system drawing clean freshwater to both residences.

The property is just 4.5km by water to the Forster-Tuncurry Bridge and surrounding lake system, 14km to Nabiac and within easy reach of the Pacific Highway, Newcastle and Sydney.