Selling a Donnybrook property with marron or aquaculture facilities

Marron is closely associated with the South West, and a Donnybrook acreage may have dams used for private stocking, a small commercial operation or infrastructure from an earlier business. Those situations are not interchangeable. A seller needs to establish what is approved and licensed before the marketing campaign calls the property a marron farm.

The Shire of Donnybrook Balingup has a specific planning information sheet for aquaculture and marron farming. It distinguishes personal use in existing approved dams from commercial use, explains where aquaculture may be considered under the local planning scheme and identifies when development approval may be required.

This article is general seller-preparation and marketing information, not planning, fisheries, aquaculture, water, environmental, biosecurity, tax, business, legal or conveyancing advice. Requirements and transfer processes depend on the property and operation. Confirm them with the Shire, DPIRD and appropriately qualified advisers.

First decide whether the use is personal or commercial

The Shire information sheet says keeping marron for personal use within existing approved dams or structures does not require Shire approval. It treats commercial marron use as aquaculture under Local Planning Scheme No. 7 and says the sale of marron may require development approval and an aquaculture licence from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

That distinction affects the buyer information pack. A private dam with marron should not be promoted as a commercial production asset unless the seller has evidence for that use. Conversely, a licensed operation needs more than photographs of the dams: buyers need to understand planning, licensing, operating obligations and which records or assets can transfer.

Current local source: Shire of Donnybrook Balingup — Aquaculture (Marron Farming) planning information sheet, checked 3 October 2026.

Confirm zoning and development approval

The Shire sheet lists the zones in which aquaculture may be considered, including Rural Residential, Rural Smallholdings, General Agriculture, Priority Agriculture, Light Industry, General Industry, Tourist and Bushland Protection. Being within a listed zone does not itself prove that a particular operation is approved.

Collect the zoning information, development approval, approved plans and all conditions. Record the approved number and location of dams, purging tanks, processing areas, sheds, parking and access. The Shire says proposals using existing dams with no structural works may not require prior approval, while additional dams, purging tanks, processing sheds and similar structural works may require it.

Compare the approved plans with the site. Note filled, enlarged or newly constructed dams; added tanks; converted sheds; drainage; pipework; hardstands; cool rooms; sales areas and signage. If written confirmation is missing, request planning information before representing the facility as approved.

Build a licence and authorisation file

DPIRD says anyone who keeps, breeds, hatches, cultures and sells fish is legally required to hold an aquaculture licence, subject to stated exceptions such as non-commercial keeping on private land. Its current licensing page also distinguishes the aquaculture licence from a lease and lists application, renewal, transfer and variation fees.

Collect the current licence, endorsements, authorised site details, conditions, renewal correspondence, production returns and compliance records. Check whether the named holder is an individual or company and whether the defined site matches the land being sold. Do not state that a licence automatically transfers with the title; ask DPIRD what application, variation, transfer or new approval the buyer requires.

DPIRD's standard conditions include species-specific requirements for marron, sources of stock, sales and consignment records. A seller should give the buyer a structured index of current records rather than handing over an unlabelled archive at settlement.

Official source: DPIRD — Aquaculture licences, leases or exemptions, checked 3 October 2026.

Map dams, water sources and discharge

Create a current property plan that identifies every production and storage dam, inlet, outlet, overflow, pump, bore, tank, filter, settlement area and drainage line. Record dimensions and capacity only from reliable plans or measurements, and state the date. Note seasonal limitations, known leaks, algal problems, sediment removal and repairs.

Identify the legal and practical source of water for each part of the operation. Collect any water licence, dam approval, bore record, allocation statement, monitoring data and electricity history. A water entitlement or approval may have its own transfer requirements; use the separate Donnybrook water-licence, dam and bore seller guide for that file.

Record where overflow or discharged water goes and any treatment or settlement process. DPIRD's aquaculture guidance may impose environmental monitoring or reporting requirements depending on the scale and nature of an operation. Do not claim “closed system”, “no discharge” or guaranteed water quality without current technical evidence.

Prepare stock, production and biosecurity records

Separate the live stock from the real property. Prepare current stock estimates, source records, mortality records, feed and treatment information, water-quality monitoring, disease or pest records, annual production returns and recent sales documentation. Explain how estimates were made and the date they apply.

Confirm whether live marron are intended to remain at settlement and what DPIRD requires for possession, movement or transfer. Do not promise a quantity or production level that cannot be verified. Historic production should identify the relevant years, stocking rates and operating conditions; it is not a forecast for a buyer.

Set an inspection protocol that protects water and stock. Control vehicle and equipment access, provide clean-down instructions where appropriate and keep visitors away from sensitive production areas unless supervised. The Donnybrook farm biosecurity seller guide provides a broader inspection framework for productive land.

Separate fixed infrastructure, equipment and business assets

Prepare an asset schedule covering pumps, aerators, pipes, filters, generators, monitoring equipment, nets, traps, graders, tanks, cool-room equipment, vehicles and office systems. Mark each item as a fixture, chattel, leased item, excluded asset or separate business-sale item. Add make, model, serial number, age, service history and working condition where relevant.

Check that photographs do not imply excluded or borrowed equipment is included. Keep ownership or finance records for significant assets. If a cool room, processing area or food business is involved, separately document its approvals, registration and operating scope.

Business names, customer lists, websites, phone numbers, supplier arrangements, forward orders and intellectual property are not automatically part of the land. Handle personal and commercial information carefully and obtain professional advice on any proposed business sale.

Use evidence-led photography and video

Professional photography should establish the relationship between the house, dams, sheds, access and surrounding land. Include clean wide views, safe access points and clearly identified infrastructure. Avoid close-up stock images that could imply a current production quantity or condition that was not verified on the property.

Aerial photography may help explain dam layout and water movement, subject to safe and lawful operation. A short video can show access, pumps and processing flow without making production claims. Southside Media can coordinate the sequence with the licensed agent so that captions match the approval and asset schedules.

Keep current Donnybrook market figures in their proper place

REIWA's Donnybrook suburb profile was updated 17 September 2026 using sales for the 12 months ending August 2026. It reported a median house sale price of $730,000, annual sales-price growth of 14.1 per cent, lower and upper quartiles of $640,000 and $850,000, and a median selling time of 46 days for houses.

Those figures describe the suburb's house market. They are not a valuation of rural land, aquaculture infrastructure, water, live stock, equipment, a business or licence position. A licensed agent and, where appropriate, specialist rural or business advisers should assess the different components and relevant comparable evidence.

Market source: REIWA Donnybrook suburb profile, data updated 17 September 2026.

Donnybrook marron-property seller checklist

• Confirm whether the use is private, commercial, current or historic.
• Collect zoning, development approval, plans and conditions.
• Obtain current aquaculture licences, endorsements and DPIRD guidance.
• Map dams, water sources, pumps, outlets, tanks and processing areas.
• Prepare production, stock, water-quality and biosecurity records.
• Confirm how live stock and licences will be handled at settlement.
• Separate fixtures, chattels, leased equipment and business assets.
• Use verified facts in listing copy, photography, aerials and video.

For the wider improvement schedule, use the Donnybrook fixtures, chattels and equipment guide. Sellers with packing or cold-storage facilities can also use the packing-shed and cool-room guide.