Farm has been a haven of family memories

The farm has been in John's family for 90 years which was started by his father Ian.

Throughout the property, and particularly the homestead at Aurora, there is evidence of the farm's history.

Almost anything that catches the eye or even the tiniest details that are barely noticeable, John can tell a story behind them, many of which were passed down from his father.

Listed by Ray White Rural WA rural sales representative Michael Batchelor, Aurora of 1399 hectares has already sold to a local farmer.

Purchased by John and Alison in 2009, Glenrock measures 388ha and is still on the market for sale.

The Tuckett family farming business was first secured in 1928 when Ian purchased a 2225.8ha bush block.

Ian met Helen Williams at the Tenterden Tennis Club in the mid-1950s and they had three children; Margaret (Jo), Elizabeth (Isobet) and John.

Talking about the earlier days before he was born, John reflected on the difficulties that his father faced, admiring his determination.

"During the Great Depression he mustered and sheared all his own sheep, about 3000," John said.

"It took him six weeks to shear 80 sheep a day," John said.

"And a lot of sheep were lost in those days because he didn't know about prickly poison."

Ian passed away in 1991, aged 90 years.

Helen continued to live at the farm, then later moved to Albany and died in 2010.

After travelling around Australia and working various jobs is New South Wales and surrounding areas of the Great Southern, John returned to the farm in 1983, aged 22, to take the reins after the property had been leased out for 21years beforehand.

John and Alison's daughters, Isabelle and Sophie, have been raised in the house in which John and his sisters grew up.

Like many old farm properties, the Tuckett's is full of history, not just quirky elements that give sentimental value for the family, but also interesting features that reflect an eventful time.

Just outside of the kitchen is an underground water tank of about 37,854 litres which was dug by World War II prisoners of war in the mid-1940s.

"We used to use it for drinking water and I always wanted to make a cellar out of it but never got around to it," John said.

"It's a funny place (the home) because the ceiling is different heights between some of the beams, the floorboards slope a little and the hallway used to be the driveway for dad's T-Model Ford which is why it's so wide."

Although leaving a house and farm full of family memories, where they have loved living, will be difficult for the Tucketts, John said it is time for he and Alison to wind down from farming.

"I suppose it's all I know so it will be a change and I have only ever missed one Christmas here," he said.

"But life goes on; I'm 57 now and have been farming for 35 years."

John and Alison have been operating the farm as a mixed enterprise, comprising 65 per cent cropping and 35pc sheep with about 2000 ewes, 740 ewe hoggets and lambs.

Their 2018 cropping program involved 390ha planted to wheat, 260ha of barley, 110ha of oats and 300ha of canola.

The pair took a no-till approach to their cropping in the early to mid-1990s and for the past two years, as well as applying liquid fertiliser with compound fertiliser and started to do cover crops.

"We've been changing the way we farm by trying to use less chemicals and working with the soil in trying to always improve them," John said.

Glenrock is suited to a mixed farming operation of livestock and cropping.

It currently runs about 710 whether hoggets and 730 ewe hoggets and has 155ha sown to wheat.

The property is well watered with eight reliable dams and on average, receives 475 millimetres of annual rainfall.

The gently undulating country has rich soils of about 90 per cent medium duplex loams, 5pc heavy clay loams with the remaining 5pc being lighter soils.

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Original stands of vegetation were wandoo, red gum, sheoak and jarrah.

Divided into eight paddocks with good quality fences of mainly ringlock on steel and timber posts, about 250ha is considered croppable, with an additional 20ha suited to grazing.

The steel framed four-stand shearing shed is the only building on the property.

Built circa 1987, it has a corrugated iron roof, mains power and a holding capacity of 500 head.

The timber and steel sheep yards have a working capacity of 1000 head.

Nestled in a reliable farming area of the Great Southern, Glenrock offers buyers an excellent parcel of land that is ideal for mixed farming.

The property is offered for sale through expressions of interest, closing Thursday, November 15.