Two major sales were crunched by Elders Albury last month for highly-sought after properties at Holbrook and near Albury.

Forest Vale at Holbrook has changed hands for only the third time since being part of the Kinross holding founded in the 1860s.

The 2809 acre property was sold by the Watson family to Doug and Sue Rutledge from Warren in the central west of NSW.

The Watsons then snapped up Kensal Green, a 2000 acre property on the Murray River near Albury, which had been owned for about 20 years by leading orthopaedic surgeon, David Kirwan and his wife Jane, in an off-market deal.

The prices paid for both remain undisclosed, but industry watchers estimate the combined value of the sales to be more than $30 million.

The Forest Vale deal comfortably exceeded a sale in the Holbrook area last year which fetched more than $4000 per acre.

“The price they received was above expectation,” Elders Albury agent David Gittoes said.

“It certainly exceeded past rural property sales in the Holbrook district.

“This one (Kensal Green) has gone to another level.”

Mr Gittoes said it was rare to see two properties of that calibre up for sale at the same time, but demand for agricultural property had not experienced the same softening as residential property.

“It is also on the back of commodities being strong,” he said.

“The wool and lamb markets are strong, the cattle market is still strong and it is all stabilising the rural prices.

“But we were fortunate to have some really top quality properties for sale and they were all in good rainfall areas.”

In the spring selling season alone Elders Albury achieved more than $50 million in farm sales.

It sold a Myrtleford property before auction and another at Mullengandra was sold privately.