Wagga sheep farm of Fraser-era minister Wal Fife listed for $30m

They are being offered for sale for the first time in 36 years by David Fife – the son of Wal Fife, who was a minister in the government of Malcolm Fraser – and his wife Kerry.

David’s uncle Harold Fife was also a leading figure in public life serving as deputy mayor of Wagga twice in the 1970s.

The Fifes, who came to Australia between 1859 and 1865 to escape Ireland’s potato famine, settled in Wagga at the end of the 19th century, operating produce stores and a string of bakeries.

Harold Fife began his working life at 13 as the lunch boy in a chaff cutting plant and served in the Second World War. He entered local politics in the 1970s, representing Wagga as a city councillor for more than 20 years. He died in 2011.

His younger brother Wallace – or Wal as he was known – was a career politician who spent 18 years as the Liberal Party’s state member for Wagga (and held numerous ministerial positions) and another 18 years as its federal member for Farrer. He was minister for aviation, education and consumer affairs in the Fraser government.

He retired from politics in 1993, just before the federal election won by Paul Keating.

In 1957, aged 28, he became the youngest member elected to the NSW parliament.

For 20 years of his working life, Mr Fife had his parliamentary office and library at Gundary, where he also ran a pastoral company of the same name.

A replica of his home office opened within the Mount Erin Convent in Wagga in 2014. Mr Fife died in 2017, and was remembered as a hard-working “country gentleman”.

He and former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack are the only two people born in Wagga Wagga to have been elected to the House of Representatives.

“I grew up in a household in which Wal Fife was revered—absolutely revered,” Mr McCormack said in 2017 after Mr Fife died.

After winning the federal seat of Riverina in 2010, Mr McCormack drove out to Gundary to be “anointed” by Mr Fife.

“It was great that, over a cup of tea, a scone and a sandwich, he did anoint me and said he was very pleased. He knew my family, so he thought I’d be okay,” Mr McCormack recalled.

“From time to time I sought Wal’s advice, and from time to time, we would run into one another at functions. He was always very gracious, and I know that I had Wal’s respect—as, of course, he had my lifelong respect.”

The Gundary Aggregation is being offered for sale on behalf of David and Kerrie Fife by Liam Griffiths and Sam Triggs of Inglis Rural Property.

The mixed-farming enterprise includes established lucerne pastures and 655 hectares of winter crops sown for 2024.

As a sheep farm, Gundary has a total current carrying capacity of about 23,500 livestock.

“The Gundary Aggregation presents an excellent opportunity and rare economies of scale for large investment groups seeking to secure an aggregation of high quality consistently performing farming assets,” Mr Griffiths said.