Who owns the Northern Territory’s farms? Meet 40+ of the Territory’s biggest cattle barons and farming families
The Territory’s economy was built in-part on the back of the cattle industry. So who owns and works our vital pastoral and farming assets now? Meet the land barons.
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Central Australia’s European history began with the overland telegraph and cattle – and seventh-generation Territorians, the Hayes family, were at the forefront of both endeavors.
Ben Hayes and his wife Nicole’s Undoolya Station property east of Alice Springs was, along with Owen Springs Station, one of the first two pastoral leases granted in the Northern Territory.
Records show the leases were issued on April 1, 1872, just months before completion of the overland telegraph – the Territory’s first and most important major project – with first cattle coming to the Centre from South Australia a year later.
SCROLL DOWN TO MEET THE NT’S BIGGEST LAND OWNERS
In the early 1880s the Hayes’ were contracted by Sir Thomas Elder sinking dams and fencing on Mount Burrell station.
During this time they were also contracted to replace the wooden telegraph poles with the steel Oppenheimer due to termites and harsh conditions.
The family stayed around to work in the burgeoning cattle industry, with William Hayes and his wife Mary buying Mount Burrell (Maryvale) Deepwell station in 1884 and Owen Springs and Undoolya in 1906.
In the Territory’s early years the various strands of the Hayes family had extensive Central Australian holdings in both pastoral leases and grazing licenses, extending thousands of square kilometers from Arltunga in the east to Hamilton Downs and Owen Springs in the west.
Through consolidation and succession the holdings were altered during subsequent generations, with William and Mary’s son Edward and wife Jean (nee Bloomfield) taking over Undoolya in 1922, and eventually buying the property in 1930 after divesting the Maryvale and Owen Springs stations.
In 1995 Ben, his father Jim and mother Gail along with his brothers Richie and Andy bought The Garden station, about 120km north-east of Alice Springs, with the two stations now making up the family’s pastoral and horticultural holdings.
Nicole and Ben live at 144,000ha Undoolya Station in 150-year-old Undoolya homestead running an average 5000 head of Poll Hereford cattle. Ben’s older brother Richie was producing table grapes and other horticultural lines including lucerne and vegetables until his recent retirement.
At about 220,000ha, The Garden is operated by Andy and Jane Hayes who run mainly droughtmaster cattle.
Like elsewhere in the country, water is a premium - but with average annual downpours of just 285mm (11 inches), the job of adequately managing scarce supplies has added significance.
“Depending on the season – and we adjust for the seasons – we’ll go right down to 3000 head,” Nicole said.
“We can get up to 7000 head, but we try to get around 5000 head on average.
“It booms and busts here, and we have to be pretty careful to be on the ball when the season is turning. Over a 10-year period we work on having seven years of either drought or very dry times, so we’ve got to be careful how we manage it because it is quite an arid landscape here in Central Australia.
“We don’t know if we’re going to get rain next summer, unlike in the Top End where they are pretty much guaranteed.”
The most recent drought broke towards the end of 2020, with solid rainfall ever since ensuring strong pasture production and an opportunity to rebuild stock numbers.
Undoolya and The Garden rely on bore water from the Mereenie Aquifer, with fewer watering points at The Garden due to its distance from the aquifer heart.
“There’s been a lot of mapping for the aquifers and the Mereenie underneath us is part of Alice Springs as well and the water’s more pure in the centre and gets saltier as you go out,” Nicole said.
“Our bore holes are quite deep compared to the Top End and we could be 100m-plus before find the right places. The northern parts of Undoolya, doesn’t hold the water in the rock and we’ve drilled a bit but it’s really hard to find water.”
Regular bushfires are an added strain on precious resources, with six major fires at Undoolya last season of which five were deliberately lit. They have three fire grassfire units, two graders used for firebreaks but equipment needs to be brought in.
The family spent $100,000 plus out of its own resources fighting fires last bushfire season, not to mention the cost of deploying the small team of family members away from farming duties.
As Australia battles through a cost-of-living crisis, Nicole said some sections of the community blame farmers for rising food prices, while ignoring their roles as custodians of the NT’s pastoral leases.
“Farmers understand the costs that people experience and we dislike it as much as the next person,” Nicole said.
“We still have to buy food too. There’s just too much pushback against farmers by government.
“We produce the best food in the world in Australia and we understand the climate concerns, but if they’re going to put the extra costs onto us it feels like a big pushback against farming and we’re not as bad for the environment as some people want to portray us.
“If food production in Australia goes overseas, people will pay more for their food if it’s sourced internationally. It will be like during Covid.”
The Hayes are among the the NT’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 Territory.
AAM INVESTMENT GROUP
A national player with one substantial Territory acquisition. AAM has about $1bn invested Australia-wide in beef, lamb, wool, cropping, poultry and timber supply chains across 32 sites in four states and the NT. Legune Station was the proposed site for a large prawn farm that appears to have stalled.
Legune Station, Kununurra NT – 285,270 hectares
AMBURLA NOMINEES
Owned by Tony and Pam Davis. Sold the Narwietooma, Derwent and Glen Helen stations in Central Australia in 2020.
Amburla Station, Alice Springs NT – 202,000 hectares
Dnieper Station, Alice Springs NT – 100,000 hectares
Hamilton Downs Station, Alice Springs NT
AN VIEN PASTORAL HOLDING AND AGRICULTURE (VIETNAM)
Prominent Vietnamese businessman Pham Nhat Vu, chairman of An Vien Group media company, paid $18m for Vermelha Station in 2016, and has recently put the property up for sale, including its around 15,000 head of mostly Brahman cattle. Estimates put the expected sale at upwards of $55m.
Vermelha Station, Larrimah NT – 200,000 hectares. Purchased in 2016 for $18 million.
ANGUS & KIMBERLEY MCKAY
The McKay family have been beef farmers for more than 50 years with Angus’ grandfather, Leath McKay, starting out with a number of properties in South Australia.
Idracowra Station, Alice Springs NT – 462,800 hectares
Umbearra Station, Alice Springs NT – 360,000 hectares
AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL COMPANY (ASX LISTED)
Established in 1824, and the oldest continuously operating company in Australia, AACo owns and operates Australia’s largest cattle herds with about 382,000 head spread across 6.5 million hectares of Queensland and the Northern Territory. It also owns the currently dormant Coolalinga abattoir. AGC has assets valued at $1.4 billion and is celebrating its bi-centennial this year.
Brunette Downs Station, Barkly Tablelands NT – 1,235,100 hectares
Camfield Station, Victoria River NT – 279,000 hectares
Delamere Station, Victoria River NT – 300,300 hectares
Montejinni Station, Top Springs NT – 485,623 hectares
Pell and Tortilla, Darwin NT – 5443 hectares
BALDY BAY PASTORAL (STERLING BUNTINE)
Kimberley-based pastoralist with significant holdings in northern Australia. Was part of a consortium of buyers who launched a last-minute bid for the S Kidman and Co assets in 2016.
Dalmore Downs Station, Tennant Creek NT
BASS LAND AND CATTLE
Operated by David and Suzanne Bassingthwaite and family, large-scale Santa Gertrudis breeders in central Queensland, the company’s NT holding produces Droughtmaster cattle. Epenarra is located in the lower Barkly Downs region, about 550km north of Alice Springs on the Frew River.
Epenarra Station, Barkly Tablelands NT – 265,000 hectares. Purchased in 2019.
BILBA GROUP
The largest rural development company in northern Australia operated by Adrian and Emma Brown.
Amungee Mungee Station, Daly Waters NT – 316,970 hectares
Bullwaddy Pastoral Company portfolio, Arnold NT – 1,400,000 hectares
BRETT BLUNDY RETAIL CAPITAL
Operated by billionaire Australian businessman and retail king Brett Blundy, who grew up on a small farm on the outskirts of Melbourne. Sold the 316,000-hectare Amungee Mungee Station in the NT to the Bilba Group’s Adrian and Emma Brown in 2022.
Beetaloo Station and OT Downs, Elliot NT – 707,800 hectares
Mungabroom Station, Elliot NT – 346,900 hectares
Walhallow and Creswell Downs, Tennant Creek NT – 999,700 hectares
BRETT CATTLE COMPANY
The Brett’s are large-scale NT beef producers operating across more than 350,000 hectares in the Victoria River District. The Brett family recently sold Darwin’s Char Restaurant, which they bought in part as a vehicle to showcase their beautiful beef.
Waterloo Station, Victoria River NT – 189,500 hectares
Willeroo Station, Victoria River NT – 171,000 hectares
BRIGODOON CATTLE COMPANY
Operated by Bill and Gretchen Speed with significant holdings of more than 720,000 hectares in western Queensland and the Northern Territory. Tarlton Downs is located on the Plenty Highway about 450km from both Alice Springs and Mt Isa. The spread is a mixture of gidgee, buffel grass, sandhill and spinifex country with 25 bores and 14 sets of yards in use.
Tarlton Downs Station, Alice Springs NT – 303,514 hectares
BUNDERRA CATTLE COMPANY
Certified organic beef business owned and operated by the Pickersgill family across more than one million hectares. Paid about $30 million for Neutral Junction Station in the Northern Territory in 2022.
Murranji, Daly Waters NT – 447,500 hectares
Neutral Junction Station – 460,900 hectares
CALLUM MACLACHLAN
Assumed ownership of Killarney and Wave Hill Stations from his family’s Jumbuck Pastoral Company in 2023 as part of a succession plan. Established in 1883, Wave Hill is the Territory’s second largest cattle station.
Killarney, Katherine NT – 541,400 hectares
Wave Hill Station, Victoria River NT – 1,214,057 hectares
CK LIFE SCIENCES (HONG KONG)
The family of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing owns a large stake in parent company CK Hutchinson Holdings. As well as the Northern Territory, operations are spread across Victoria, South Australia, NSW, Queensland, Western Australia. The company’s Australian agricultural assets are estimated to total more than $2bn.
Roper River Farm (watermelons), Mataranka NT – 394 hectares
AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISM (VIETNAM)
Agricultural investment company linked to major Vietnamese dairy producer TH Group. Owns three cattle stations spanning 732,900 hectares in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. In 2023 Auvergne’s owners withdrew an application to clear 900ha for cotton production after protests by anti-development groups.
Auvergne Station, Katherine NT – 414,200 hectares
Newry Station, Katherine NT – 246,700 hectares
CLEVELAND AGRICULTURE
Malcolm Harris has stamped his business on the Australian pastoral mapping, amassing about 2.5 million hectares of farming and pastoral land worth upwards of $1.2 billion. He sold the 450,000-hectare Benmara Station at Elliott NT in 2023 to Wealthcheck. Brunchilly has an average stock carrying capacity of 24,000 head of cattle and last changed hands for about $100m.
Brunchilly Station, Tennant Creek NT – 513,600 hectares
Rockhampton Downs, Barkly Tablelands NT – 500,000 hectares
CONSOLIDATED PASTORAL COMPANY
Founded in 1879, Consolidated was once owned by media baron Kerry Packer and is today one of Australia’s largest pastoral players, operating across 3.2 million hectares with assets valued at more than $1bn. Major shareholder is UK-based private equity guru Guy Hands.
Dungowan, Katherine NT – 445,500 hectares
Kirkimbie, Katherine NT – 230,400 hectares
Newcastle Waters Station, Newcastle Waters NT – 1,033,101 hectares
CROSS PACIFIC INVESTMENTS (ARGENTINA)
Operated by established Argentinian cropping farmers the Buratovich family, CPI operates across more than half-a-million hectares of beef country in the Northern Territory, purchased in 2019 as a package for about $43 million.
Manbulloo, Katherine NT – 380,000 hectares
Scott Creek, Katherine NT – 101,000 hectares
Sturt Downs, Katherine NT – 68,000 hectares
CROWN POINT PASTORAL
A partnership between north Australian pastoralists Viv Oldfield - who also owns racehorses - and Donny and Colleen Costello. CPP has made several major Territory acquisitions in recent years. The company has accumulated 9.2m hectares of cattle stations, many of those in the Territory, and is considered the country’s largest combined landowner.
Andado Station, Alice Springs NT – 1,050,000 hectares
Horseshoe Bend, Alice Springs NT – 603,000 hectares
Lilla Creek Station, Alice Springs NT – 296,000 hectares
Maryvale Station, Alice Springs NT – 324,000 hectares
Middle Creek Station, Katherine NT – 60,200 hectares
Mount Doreen Station, Alice Springs NT – 733,700 hectares
New Crown Station, Alice Springs NT – 615,800 hectares
Phoenix Park Feedlot, Katherine NT – 3443 hectares
DUNKELD PASTORAL COMPANY
Owned by renowned Melbourne KC Allan Myers. As well as his Victorian operations where he farms more than 12,700 hectares around Dunkeld in Victoria’s Western District. Myers purchased Tipperary Station from billionaire property developer Warren Anderson, and last year opened a $90m cotton gin near Katherine he helped bankroll to support diversification of the Territory’s pastoral sector.
Litchfield, Katherine NT – 133,859 hectares (Tipperary Group)
DUXTON FARMS LIMITED (ASX LISTED)
Australian listed entity with a diversified portfolio of high-quality Australian farms. Duxton leased Mountain Valley Station, about 540km south-east of Darwin, in 2023, reportedly to farm cotton.
Mountain Valley Station (leased), NT – 141,000 hectares
GIBSON GRAZING
Operated by Mick Gibson and family across a reported two million hectares of cattle country in Queensland, Gibson Grazing crossed the border in 2016 when he purchased his first - and so far only - Territory asset.
Manners Creek Station, Manners Creek NT – 687,900 hectares
HALE RIVER PASTORAL COMPANY
Owned by Tim Edmunds. Sold Narwietooma, The Derwent and Glen Helen stations in 2022 to PSP Investments – Hewitt Cattle Company for about $100 million.
Henbury Station, Alice Springs NT – 527,300 hectares
THE HAYES FAMILY
Seventh generation Territory pastoralists, the Hayes family has run cattle on the Territory since the late 19th century and scion Ben and Andy’s great grandfather purchased Undoolya in 1930. The Garden Station was added to their portfolio in the 1990s. Scroll up to read their story.
Unoolya Station, Alice Springs - 144,000ha
The Garden, Alice Springs 220,000ha
HEYTESBURY PASTORAL
Founded by Australia’s first billionaire, Robert Holmes a Court, Heytesbury Pastoral runs six cattle stations across more than 2.5m hectares of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Birrindudu, Katherine NT – 673,200 hectares
Moolooloo, Victoria River NT – 203,600 hectares
Mt Sandford, Victoria River NT – 249,700 hectares
Pigeon Hole, Victoria River NT – 181,100 hectares
Victoria River Downs, Victoria River NT – 390,400 hectares
HUGHES PASTORAL GROUP/GEORGINA PASTORAL COMPANY
Peter and Jane Hughes run the mammoth Hughes and Georgina pastoral companies across 3.9 million hectares of Queensland, NSW and the Northern Territory. Paid Gina Rinehart $100 million for Riveren and Inverway stations in the NT in 2022, a year after shelling out $215 million for Miranda Downs Station at Normanton in Queensland.
Inverway and Riveren, Victoria River NT – 555,400 hectares
KIANA STATION PTY LTD
Owned and operated by the Darcy family. Purchased Kiana Station, which neighbours Mallapunyah, in 2021 for $12 million, bare of stock and plant.
Kiana Station, Larrimah NT – 331,800 hectares
Mallapunya Springs, Larrimah NT
McMILLAN PASTORAL COMPANY
The McMillan clan of Cloncurry has amassed a two million-hectare portfolio that includes seven stations in Queensland and one in the Northern Territory. Calvert Hills was one of 15 properties sold after federal Labor’s 2011 Indonesian live cattle export ban, and was sold in 2013 to McMillan Pastoral for $15m.
Calvert Hills Station, Borroloola NT – 481,000 hectares
NAPIER PASTORAL COMPANY
Family owned and operated business, made up of properties in Central Australia and South Australia’s South East.
Delmore Downs, Alice Springs NT
Delny, Alice Springs NT
Pine Hill Station, Alice Springs NT – 270,000 hectares
NORTH AUSTRALIAN PASTORAL COMPANY
One of Australia’s oldest and largest cattle companies, NAPC is backed by the Queensland Investment Corporation and covers more than six million hectares. Alexandria is the Territory’s largest cattle station and the third-largest in Australia.
Alexandria, Barkly NT – 1,641,416 hectares
Mittiebah, Barkly NT – 695,500 hectares
NORTH STAR PASTORAL COMPANY
Founded with the purchase of Venture Downs in 2004, North Star now has operations spread across the Northern Territory and Queensland, supplying export cattle to Asia. Sold the Maryfield and Limbunya stations in 2022 to Wealthcheck.
Hodgson River Station, Katherine NT – 111,000 hectares
PANIRI AGRICULTURAL COMPANY (CORPORATE CARBON)
Natural asset manager dedicated to delivering 100 per cent sustainable agricultural production. Part of the Corporate Carbon Group with 1.3 million hectares under management.
Ban Ban Springs Station, Adelaide River NT – 187,300 hectares
PASPALEY PASTORAL
Owned by the famous Paspaley pearling family with a portfolio of farms spread across NSW and the Northern Territory. Holdings include the 65,000-hectare Dry River Station in the NT. The company is Australia’s largest producer of Pearls, with its head office in Darwin.
Dry River Station, Katherine NT – 65,000 hectares
Melaleuca Station, Katherine NT – 45,000 hectares
PEREGRINE CORPORATION
Owned by rich lister Charlie Shahin, who got the shock of his life when his business purchased NT service stations then discovered the extent of crime in the jurisdiction. As well as promising, but not delivering on a Krispy Kreme in Palmerston, he purchased Aileron Station from the Caason Group in 2024.
Aileron Station, Alice Springs NT – 408,000 hectares
HEWITT
Operates huge pastoral interests across NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Portfolio includes several former Webster Limited properties.
Ambalindum, Alice Springs NT – 331,800 hectares
Narwietooma Aggregation, Plenty NT – 1,108,200 hectares
Numery, Alice Springs NT – 202,200 hectares
RALLEN AUSTRALIA
Operated by the Sydney-based South African rich lister Langenhoven family. Paid $58 million for Kalala Station in 2018 and $70 million for Tanumbirini and Forrest Hill in 2020. In 2023 the Supreme Court threw-out a challenge by Rallen to stop hydraulic-fracturing in the Beetaloo sub-basin.
Big River Station, Roper Valley NT – 70,800 hectares
Forrest Hill Station, NT – 54,000 hectares
Kalala Station, Daly Waters NT – 376,000 hectares
Larrizona Station, Katherine NT – 70,200 hectares
Mt McMin Station, Roper Valley NT – 81,000 hectares
Tanumbirini Station, NT – 500,000 hectares
S KIDMAN AND CO – AUSTRALIA-CHINA
Founded in 1899 by Sir Sidney Kidman, S Kidman and Co is now operated by an Australian-Chinese consortium headed by billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart. Has significantly reduced its footprint to just two million hectares in recent years.
Durham Downs, Eromanga NT – 891,000 hectares
Helen Springs, Tennant Creek NT – 520,000 hectares
SCOTT CATTLE COMPANY
Operated by George Scott, who previously managed Georgina Pastoral Company’s Lake Nash Station.
MacDonald Downs, NT – 270,000 hectares
SEVERIN FAMILY
Peter, Ashley and Lyndee Severin operate the Curtin Springs Station in the shadows of Uluru in Central Australia.
Curtin Springs Station, Alice Springs NT – 416,400 hectares
TONY AND JULIE HARROWER
Well-known Northern Territory pastoralists, the Harrowers purchased Old Mount Bundey Station in 2016 for an undisclosed price.
Dorisvale Station, Pine Creek NT
Old Mount Bundey Station, Adelaide River NT – 380,000 hectares
WEALTHCHECK
Investment management company headed up by Sam Mitchell that oversees more than one million hectares of land. Paid $100 million for North Star Pastoral’s Limbunya and Maryfield Station properties in 2022. Purchased Benmara Station in the Northern Territory from Cleveland Agriculture in 2023. Listed Limbunya and Maryfield for sale in February 2024.
Benmara Station, Barkly Tablelands NT – 450,000 hectares
Conways Station, Katherine NT – 139,200 hectares (with Viridios Capital)
Limbunya, Katherine NT – 520,000 hectares
Maryfield Station, Katherine NT – 140,000 hectares
Originally published as Who owns the Northern Territory’s farms? Meet 40+ of the Territory’s biggest cattle barons and farming families
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