Buying up grand properties is a tactic used by these gigantic mining corporations to acquire prime agricultural land to increase their tenure of mining in Australia.
Australia may have a dark past regarding white settlement but, I for one don't want to see the deaths of indigenous Australians who were used as labor to build these beautifully grand houses then to have their memories bulldozed into the ground along with these houses so it can all be dug up. This is madness.
Historic "Mereworth" has been sold to a shelf company with a name
"Pastoral " in the name of the title.
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| Mereworth |
"Mereworth" was listed for a long time on the market at
$AUD12m. It was listed with the best agents. Meres and Meres said it was the best listing they had for a good while in 2010.
It has been held by the pioneering tea-merchant family since it was
bought in 1963 after almost 100 years of ownership by the Cowley family.
The nine-bedroom 1864 sandstone house was designed by architect John Amory, with a French provincial feel.
Its formal lounge room comes with a baronial fireplace and
raked ceilings. Shuttered windows and french doors frame the views of
the mature garden, once described by Elwyn Swane as one of the finest by
landscaper Paul Sorenson. Domain Blog Post - Mereworth
Locals feared it would be just another agricultural showpiece property which could fall into the hands of miners.
The 500-hectare property ranks among the most intact Southern Highlands
farms, but it is possible to be subdivided before or after sale. Property Observer
So the residents around Berrima in the Southern Highlands
of NSW have well based fears this sale could be yet another way of buying up large properties for one of the giant mining corporations.
A director of this shelf company with
pastoral in its name
is a lawyer who has links to the mining industry.
POSCO (a South Korean mining company) is the general fear of who it may be linked to. This was looming before and now locals fear this again. Posco
used a shelf company - '
Aurelius Agriculture' to purchase prime
agricultural assets in the area before it was revealed that Aurelius
Agriculture instead wanted to mine the land.
The Oxley Family who have held the property intact for some time who are the Vendors have made statements to say they would never have sold if they had known they were selling their
farming land to miners. Its just that plain to see there is no stopping those with money.
POSCO has strong links to
ADANI . Posco was nominated by Adani as the preferred EPC contractor to take care of infrastructure and
build a rail line from the Carmichael Mine to Abbott Point, near Gladstone.
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| Berrima had a dark dark past. . now the future is looking similar. IMAGE SOURCE |
Images @ Eminpee Fotography via Cultural Collections
