Allan Myers QC purchases blue-ribbon Blackwood Station at Dunkeld

EXCLUSIVE: Leading Australian QC Allan Myers has purchased another multi-million property in Victoria’s Western District.

EXCLUSIVE: BARRISTER-to-the-stars Allan Myers has snapped up another multimillion-dollar blue-ribbon property in Victoria’s Western District.

The Weekly Times understands Mr Myers’ Dunkeld Pastoral Company has purchased the historic 2420ha Blackwood Station property at Dunkeld from Chinese owners Rifa Salutary for an undisclosed sum.

Rifa — the Australian arm of Hangzhou-based manufacturing and investment giant Zhejiang Rifa Holding Group — purchased Blackwood in 2014 a reported $14 million.

Hamilton-born and Dunkeld-raised, Mr Myers is one of the nation’s leading QCs and over the years has represented such corporate big wigs as Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, Gina Rinehart, Allan Bond, John Elliott and Kerry Stokes.

He is a long-term investor in Australian agriculture, buying his first block at Dunkeld in 1977. Dunkeld Pastoral has since become one of the state’s best known, large-scale red meat producers operating across about 8300ha and producing 450 tonnes of lamb, 250 tonnes of mutton, 100 tonnes of wool and 100 tonnes of beef annually.

Rifa had emerged a major player in the Australian beef industry in the past five years but in July announced it would offload its portfolio of 14 properties in Victoria and NSW totalling 44,000ha. At the time selling agent CBRE Agribusiness’ Colin Medway said the portfolio, which includes the 4534ha Kulwin Park and McNicholl’s at Wycheproof, could generate “north of $150 million”.

The Weekly Times has approached both Dunkeld Pastoral and Mr Myers for comment.