Aussie buyer snaps up historic outback SA station at auction

A tightly held 44,696ha pastoral property in the Far North will stay in South Australian hands after it was bought by a neighbour for millions.

The 44,696ha Wilkatana Station has been sold by Tom Sawer through auction for $7.4 million.

A historic South Australian sheep station has been bought by a neighbouring pastoralist after it was sold through auction, changing hands for the first time in more than 120 years.

On Wednesday, the 44,696ha Wilkatana Station, located 45km north of Port Augusta on the edge of the Flinders Ranges, was sold under the hammer for a price of $7.4 million.

The Andrew Doman of Yadlamalka Pastoral purchased the station after besting five other registered bidders and three other active bidders at Port Augusta’s Central Oval Complex.

The property was initially offered with an opening bid of $4 million, before climbing to $7.3 million before bidding was halted for a private negotiation.

The auction was then briefly resumed for the upgraded offer with Ray White Rural SA agent and auctioneer Geoff Schell ultimately selling the property under the hammer for the equivalent of $165.56 a hectare.

Ray White Rural SA rural sales associate Sam Kreig said the Wilkatana Station had gathered more than 130 inquiries consisting of both domestic and foreign parties including some from China, Hong, India and Europe.

He also said the property was of interest to both energy companies and nearby pastoralists seeking expansion.

“The result was a record for the district on a dollar per DSE (dry sheep equivalent basis),” Mr Kreig said.

The Wilkatana Station, has been owned by the Sawer family for about 123 years.

Under Yadlamalka Pastoral Mr Doman owns Yadlamalka Station as well as the 154,100ha Beltana Station, purchased in 2017 for $8.4 million.

Melbourne-based Tony Sawer listed the historic sheep station for sale in September this year, where it attracted interest from overseas and domestic suitors with more than 130 inquiries.

The Wilkatana Station is rated with an carrying capacity of about 5000 ewes and 150 cattle, making it a high-quality sheep and cattle operation with significant infrastructure already in place.

Manager Andrew Smart has run the property for the past 38 years, backed by consistent reinvestment by the sawers family in key areas such as fencing, water systems and buildings.

A well-appointed homestead, manager’s residence, and eight-stand shearing shed, along with various sheep and cattle yards support production at the Wilkatana Station.

The station is serviced by three main bores and a spring, with water transported through an extensive pipeline network monitored by a telemetry system.

The station’s eastern portion also takes in the Flinders Ranges, offering the potential for eco-tourism ventures thanks to 4WD tracks, the renowned Heyson trail and historical sites such as Eyre Depot, where explorer Edward John Eyre camped during his journey north in 1839.