Biggest land barons: Meet the people and companies behind South Australia’s largest farms
Who owns – and works – South Australia’s largest agricultural landholdings? Meet the farmers on the land, the families and companies behind them.
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He got his start as a farmhand on the family farm and now owns hundreds of thousands of hectares of South Australian land, a feat he admits is likely out of reach for the budding farmers of today.
Peter Whittlesea has made many moves throughout his lifelong farming career.
The 58-year-old has worked as a farmhand, managed semi-corporate setups and in 2015, with wife Margaret, purchased a 33 per cent share of Mt Eba Station, a 336,700ha property some 700km out of Adelaide where they run 25,000 sheep and more than 500 cows.
They co-own the station in partnership with the Cousins family and Australian Pastoral.
Their latest move has been to expand those operations to a 2300ha property at Keith, which has been set up as a feedlot to fatten the livestock before they are taken to market.
SCROLL DOWN TO MEET SA’S BIGGEST LAND OWNERS
Having spent decades in the industry, Mr Whittlesea has seen first hand how farming has changed over the years.
While technological advancements have made farming practices more efficient, margins have become tighter and mistakes costlier, he said.
“Instead of hundreds of thousands of dollars, we’re playing with millions of dollars,” he said.
“All of our margins are tied around efficiencies because we can’t afford to make any mistakes, we need to have it right all the time.”
For those looking to get into farm ownership, Mr Whittlesea said the situation was even more difficult, with asset prices locking out newcomers.
“I don’t think nowadays there’s any way that you could work as a shearer or someone like that to earn enough money to buy your first block of land,” he said.
But Mr Whittlesea said for existing farm owners “the future is pretty bright”.
“At this point in time, we’re growing that quick that all of our products we grow will get gobbled up pretty quickly,” he said.
“We’re not really growing enough food for the demands of the world.”
The Whittleseas are among South Australia’s biggest land owners as named in The Weekly Times’ annual investigation into who owns Australia’s farms.
From the list, we have compiled all the major players owning properties in the state.
Some SA farms are owned by international investors, but the majority are still owned by farming families and locals.
The largest farming land holders in the state are the Crown Point Pastoral Company, originally from the Northern Territory.
Below, meet some of the families that own the state’s largest farms.
MCBRIDE FAMILY
AJ&PA McBride Pty Ltd
A sixth-generation family owned company operating 12 properties across 1.4 million hectares of South Australia and producing about 7700 wool bales annually.
Albert James McBride and his son Philip Albert Martin McBride founded AJ & PA McBride Ltd in 1920. Initially, they owned four properties, purchasing more over the years.
In 2022, the company bought Konleigh Flat, neighbouring Konetta. This allowed them to increasing the size of Konetta Station to 7732 hectares.
The company added the 3345-hectare Keilira Station to the portfolio in February 2024.
Ashmore, Kingston SE SA – 7354 hectares
Bleasdale Winery, Langhorne Creek SA
Braemar, Burra SA – 131,210 hectares
Brooklyn Station, Lucindale SA – 3839 hectares
Keilira Station, Kingston SE SA – 3345 hectares
Konetta, Greenways SA – 7380 hectares
Nepowie, Woolumbool SA – 5848 hectares
North Well, Kingoonya SA – 381,400 hectares
Teetulpa, Yunta SA – 84,414 hectares
Wilgena Station, Tarcoola SA – 507,300 hectares
Yudnapinna, Port Augusta SA – 224,000 hectares
AUSTON CORPORATION
Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan – Canada
The Australian agricultural arm of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has operated since 2018.
Offers long-term capital to invest in and help grow innovative and agricultural businesses. In November 2023 purchased a major equity interest in Montague, which handles 18 per cent of Australia’s apple production and 15 per cent of stone fruit produce across orchards in Victoria, Tasmania and NSW.
Aroona Farms, Lyrup SA – 2600 hectares
Mitolo Family Farms (26 farms in NSW and SA), Adelaide Plains SA
KERRY STOKES
Australian Capital Equity
Billionaire media mogul has significant farming interests, particularly in SA and WA.
He sold his Cygnet Park Farms aggregation on Kangaroo Island to Growth Farms in 2019 (see separate listing) for about $25 million.
Balquihidder Station, Parawa SA – 3000 hectares
Mt Scrub, Fleurieu Peninsula SA- 660 hectares
BILLA KALINA PASTORAL COMPANY
Owned by the Greenfield pastoralist family since 1938.
Billa Kalina Station, Woomera SA – 500,000 hectares
BROOK PASTORAL COMPANY
Adria Downs, Birdsville QLD – 780,000 hectares
Alton Downs, SA (via Birdsville)
Cordillo Downs, Innamincka SA
Murnpeowie Station, Maree SA
COOPER FAMILY
Fifth-generation family farming operation CC Cooper and Co, based at Jamestown in South Australia’s Mid North, has expanded across six properties in its home state, NSW and Western Australia over the past two decades.
Leith Cooper is the grandson of a shearer, who started the enterprise from the ground up, leaving just shy of 500 hectares to his three sons.
The Coopers have expanded more than 10-fold to now own more than 800,000 hectares, with the company run by Leith’s sons, Seth and Tom.
Since 2005, the family has spread its wings from its Jamestown base to buy Wonga Station at Broken Hill, Narrung on the Coorong, Madura Plains and Coorabie on the Nullarbor, and Broughton Vale Station at Little Topar NSW.
They run about 50,000 sheep alongside cropping and haymaking.
Coorabie, Ceduna SA
Jamestown Aggregation, Jamestown SA
Madura Plains, Nullarbor SA – 688,000 hectares
Narrung Aggregation, Narrung SA
CENTURIA CAPITAL (ASX – LISTED)
Specialist investment manager with more than $21 billion worth of assets under management, including several agricultural investments.
Clarendon, McLaren Vale SA
Evans Vineyard, Coonawarra SA
Hanlin Hill, Clare Valley SA
Petaluma Gores Road, Adelaide Hills SA
Rolf Binder Winery and Vineyards, Barossa Valley SA
Resurrection Vineyard, Barossa Valley SA
Stobie, Clare Valley SA
Sundrop Farms, Port Augusta SA – 246 hectares
LI KA-SHING
CK Life Sciences – Hong Kong
The family of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing owns a large stake in parent company CK Hutchinson Holdings.
Operations are spread across Victoria, South Australia, NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Australian ag assets estimated at more than $2 billion.
Bussorah Vineyard, Padthaway SA – 165 hectares
Dalmeny Vineyard, Padthaway SA – 213 hectares
Jubilee Vineyard, Riverland SA – 234 hectares
Katnook Vineyard, Coonawarra SA – 165 hectares
Miamba Vineyard, Barossa Valley SA – 131 hectares
Qualco East Vineyard, Riverland SA – 171 hectares
Qualco West Vineyard, Riverland SA – 213 hectares
Station and Kirkgate Vineyards, Coonawarra SA – 256 hectares
CROWN POINT PASTORAL
The title of Australia’s biggest landholder is held by two outback businessmen who teamed up almost two decades years ago to create a cattle operation that would swiftly grow to mind-blowing scale.
Former horse trainers and owners, Viv Oldfield and Donny Costello, have built a vast portfolio of more than 9.2 million hectares across the country – larger than Tasmania and more than twice the size of Switzerland.
Oldfield and Costello have bought 13 grazing properties over the past decade and a half, with three of those making up their Crown Point Pastoral South Australian branch.
Clifton Hills Station, Birdsville Track SA – 1,650,000 hectares
Innamincka Station, Leigh Creek SA – 1,360,000 hectares
Macumba Station, Oodnadatta SA – 1,100,000 hectares
Pandie Pandie Station, Birdsville Track SA – 662,500 hectares
FIERA COMOX – CANADA
Global agricultural fund with a growing footprint in Australia, the US and New Zealand. It has about $1.1 billion worth of assets in Australia.
Boorala, Frances SA – 1980 hectares (Excel Farms)
Manton, Frances SA – 841 hectares (Excel Farms)
GEORGE & SOPHIE MILLINGTON
George and Sophie Millington purchased the famous Collinsville Stud Merinos from Paddy Handbury in an off-market deal in 2014.
Before his tree change, Mr Millington owned and operated APD Parcel Delivery Service and Monjava Coffee in Kent Town.
Now the director and owner of Collinsville Stud Merinos runs 64,590ha of land across three properties and said it sold more than 2200 rams each year.
Mr Millington told The Advertiser during the purchase his goal was to help cement the position of Collinsville as one of Australia’s most important herds. The pair purchased another aggregation in 2019 and said they have plans to run cattle in the future.
Collinsville Station, Hallett SA – 56,093 hectares
Collinsville Stud, Hallett SA
Kadlunga Aggregation, Mintaro SA
GROWTH FARMS
Acquires and manages prime Australian agricultural assets on behalf of private and institutional investors.
Cygnet Park Farms, Kangaroo Island SA – 7821 hectares
HANDBURY ASSET MANAGEMENT (SALTBUSH AG)
The Saltbush AG portfolio changed hands in January 2023. The previous owners where the Handbury family, headed by Paddy Handbury and his son Jack. who also previously owned the famed Collinsville property at Burra in SA.
The six-property portfolio includes four in SA and has been used for cereals, oilseeds, legumes, hay, prime lamb and wool production.
The new owners of the portfolio are currently unknown.
Arcoona Station, Woomera SA – 214,500 hectares
Chessington, Spence SA – 668 hectares
Lucindale Aggregation, Lucindale SA – 180 hectares
Swinging Shovel, Lucindale SA
J&F FENNELL
Well-known central Australian graziers.
Wintinna, Coober Pedy SA – 372,500 hectares
JOCK MACLACHLAN
Operates across more than 550,000 hectares of pastoral land received as part of a succession settlement from his family’s Jumbuck Pastoral.
McCoys Well, Yunta SA – 58,680 hectares
MACLACHLAN FAMILY
Jumbuck Pastoral
Established in 1888, the MacLachlan family’s livestock empire spans 2.3 million hectares across seven properties in South Australia, Western Australia and NSW.
In 2023, Jumbuck sold the one – million hectare Rawlinna Station in WA to the Forrest family and hived off Killarney and Wave Hill stations to Callum MacLachlan and Meda and McCoys Well stations to Jock MacLachlan (see above) as part of a succession settlement.
Bulgunnia Station, Glendambo SA – 309,600 hectares
Commonwealth Hill, Glendambo SA – 513,000 hectares
Mobella Station, Glendambo SA – 413,200 hectares
Mount Victor Station, Yunta SA – 199,914 hectares
Mulgathing, Glendambo SA – 530,700 hectares
LITCHFIELD PASTORAL COMPANY
Operated by the Litchfield family for more than 70 years.
Mt Lyndhurst Station, Leigh Creek SA – 348,900 hectares
Mundowdna Station, Leigh Creek SA
Wilpoorinna Station, Leigh Creek SA
Viridis Ag
Operates 12 aggregations across 113,500 hectares of Western Australia, South Australia and NSW focused on broadacre row cropping.
Jamalka, Eyre Peninsula SA – 5350 hectares
Wiltoo, Cummins SA – 4400 hectares
MANULIFE – CANADA
Formerly Hancock Agricultural Investment Group. Owns about $1.2 billion in farming assets in NSW, South Australia and Queensland.
Attis Farm, New Residence SA – 131 hectares
Pomona Farms Australia, Sunraysia SA
MIDFIELD PASTORAL
MUTOOROO PASTORAL COMPANY
Established in 1868, wool-growing giant Mutooroo is owned by the Morgan and Wells families, running about 55,000 sheep across five stations totalling 2.1 million hectares on the NSW-South Australian border.
Lilydale and Manunda Stations, Yunta SA – 161,100 hectares
Mulyungarie Station, Cockburn SA – 336,600 hectares
Mutooroo Station, via Broken Hill SA – 250,300 hectares
PAROO PASTORAL COMPANY
Buckleboo Station, Eyre Peninsula SA – 101,172 hectares
Gundooee, Coonalpyn SA
PRINCESS ROYAL STATION
Family owned and operated grazing and cropping business with assets across the Mid North of South Australia, as well as pastoral land in the Flinders Ranges.
Burra Creek Wines, Burra SA
Mackerode Station, Burra SA
Princess Royal Station, Burra SA
Tungali Feedlot, Sedan SA – 1800 hectares
Wooltana Station, Blinman SA
AURORA DAIRIES
Ashwood, Mount Gambier SA
Booney View, Mount Gambier SA
Canunda Park, Mount Gambier SA
Kingsley Estate, Mount Gambier SA
Kurleah, Mount Gambier SA
Landour, Mount Gambier SA
Mirembeek, Mount Gambier SA
Port Mac Bottom Dairy, Mount Gambier SA
Port Mac Top Dairy, Mount Gambier SA
FRESH COUNTRY FARMS OF AUSTRALIA
Portfolio includes investments in hi-tech glasshouses and permanent crops including almonds, avocados, citrus, berries, mangoes, wine grapes and table grapes.
Two Wells Glasshouses, Two Wells SA – 45 hectares
SOUTHERN PREMIUM VINEYARDS
Established in 2020, owns and operates vineyards in Australia’s most productive winegrape regions including the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Limestone Coast and the Riverina.
Adelaide Hills, SA (three vineyards – managed) – 95 hectares
Barossa Valley, SA (six vineyards – owned) – 342 hectares
Barossa Valley, SA (four vineyards – managed) – 68 hectares
Clare Valley, SA (three vineyards – owned) – 208 hectares
Coonawarra/Limestone Coast, SA (six vineyards – owned) – 790 hectares
Coonawarra/Limestone Coast, SA (four vineyards – managed) – 313 hectares
Currency Creek, SA (four vineyards – owned) – 485 hectares
Langhorne Creek, SA (four vineyards – owned) – 543 hectares
McLaren Vale, SA (four vineyards – managed) – 264 hectares
Padthaway, SA (three vineyards – owned) – 837 hectares
Wrattonbully, SA (four vineyards – owned) – 373 hectares
Wrattonbully, SA (one vineyard – managed) – 32 hectares
RURAL FUNDS GROUP – ASX-LISTED
Owns a diversified portfolio of agricultural assets in cattle, almonds, macadamias, cropping and vineyards. Has about $1.9 billion worth of assets under management. Purchased the 14,000-hectare Wyseby property at Rolleston in Queensland in June 2023.
Geier Vineyard, Barossa Valley SA – 243 hectares (valued December 2023: $25.6 million)
Hahn Vineyard, Barossa Valley SA – 50 hectares (valued December 2023: $4.8 million)
Kleinig Vineyard, Barossa Valley SA – 206 hectares (valued December 2023: $21.6 million)
Mundy and Murphy Vineyard, Adelaide Hills SA – 55 hectares (valued December 2023: $4.4 million)
SELECT HARVESTS – ASX-LISTED
Australia’s largest vertically integrated nut and health food company, supply domestic and global markets with premium-quality almonds.
Loxton/Paringa orchards, Loxton SA – 637 hectares
SWISS AUSTRALIA FARM HOLDING (SWITZERLAND)
Runs purebred Angus and Brahman cattle and Merino sheep across operations in South Australia’s South East, Queensland and NSW Western Division. Purchased the 143,000-hectare Neumayer Valley Station in Queensland in 2016.
Glenstrae, Willalooka SA – 7000 hectares
Naweena, Padthaway SA – 7500 hectares
TODMORDEN CATTLE COMPANY
Large-scale beef producers based on South Australia’s Oodnadatta Track and farming interests in the state’s South East.
Glengarry, Snowtown SA – 446 hectares
Hillview, Snowtown SA – 428 hectares
Todmorden Station, Oodnadatta SA – 716,860 hectares
Walaki, Lochiel SA – 269 hectares
Warakirri Farmland Fund
One of the largest owners of modern and high-density stone fruit orchards in the nation with assets in the Goulburn Valley and northern Victoria in partnership with WF Montague Pty Ltd. Acquired Coldridge and Grande Junction vineyards on a leaseback basis.
Coldridge Vineyard, Loxton SA
WELBOURN HILL PASTORAL
Runs Braford cattle across a pastoral lease about three hours north of Coober Pedy in South Australia.
Welbourn Hill, Marla SA – 338,700 hectares
WHITTLESEA AND COUSINS FAMILIES AND AUSTRALIAN PASTORAL
Since 2015 have owned the Mt Eba Station, a working historical station 700km from Adelaide on the Stuart Highway considered “the gateway to the geographical centre of South Australia. In 2023, purchased a 2300ha property at Keith to set up as a feedlot. Scroll to the top to read Peter and Margie Whittlesea’s journey to the land.
Mt Eba Station, Mt Eba SA – 336,700 hectares
Moonmera, Keith SA – 2300 hectares
WILLIAMS CATTLE COMPANY
Anna Creek Station, Coober Pedy SA – 1,574,600 hectares
Arckaringa Station, Coober Pedy SA – 275,000 hectares
Coonibar and Carrieton, Carrieton SA – 11,400 hectares
Hamilton Station, Oodnadatta SA – 701,000 hectares
Mount Barry Station, Coober Pedy SA – 492,000 hectares
Mount Sarah Station, Oodnadatta SA – 224,800 hectares
Nilpinna Station, William Creek SA – 565,800 hectares
The Peake Station, William Creek SA – 813,000 hectares
WILLOWAY FARMING
Willoway Farming is owned and operated by the Brinkworth family across 943,000 hectares of land in South Australia’s South East and northern pastoral regions, far western NSW and the Riverina. One of Australia’s biggest wool growers.
Their operations include irrigated cropping, irrigated and dryland lucerne seed production as well as livestock and wool.
They are currently undertaking an $80 million upgrade of their farms and facilities.
Willoway Farming employs more than 50 staff in roles across its farming aggregation.
South East Aggregation (32 farms), South East SA – 36,300 hectares
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Originally published as Biggest land barons: Meet the people and companies behind South Australia’s largest farms
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