Cattle king offloads central west Queensland station

One of Australia’s leading cattle barons has sold a 97,400ha station to a Queensland family seeking expansion. See the details.

One of Australia’s cattle kings has traded a 97,400ha central west Queensland station, selling to a fellow Queensland pastoral family wanting to expand their enterprise.

Peter and Jane Hughes, who run dual cattle enterprises Hughes Pastoral Co and Georgina Pastoral Co across 3.9 million hectares in northern Australia, have sold the Cawnpore Station five years after they purchased it.

In June 2019 the Hughes family purchased the property for $11 million ($113 a hectare), amid NT drought conditions to give their Barkley Tablelands cattle better grazing.

The couple first listed the expansive station for sale in 2022, but two years later the Cawnpore Station was bought by Lord Pastoral for about $18 million.

Peter and Jane Hughes on their Tierawoomba Station in central Queensland. The Hughes family has built one of the largest privately owned Wagyu beef herds in the world.

Run by Ardie and Kacie Lord and family, Lord Pastoral is based at the 29,100ha station Sutherland, near Richmond in northwest Queensland.

Founded by the couple in 1984, Lord Pastoral is now run by their son Nikko and his wife Jade, running predominantly Brahman-cross cattle across seven stations and a combined 280,000ha.

The Cawnpore Station, regarded as a turnkey breeding and, or backgrounding property that can run 7000 adult equivalents, was sold by RPL agent Wally Cooper and Ray White Rural agent Bruce Douglas.

The Hughes family have sold the 97,400ha Cawnpore Station, located near Middleton QLD.

The Hughes family’s involvement in beef production dates back to Peter and Jane’s grandparents and 1872 in the Nebo region, where the family’s home base, 140,000ha Tierawoomba aggregation, carries a herd of 25,000 Wagyu-cross.

In April 2022, the Hughes’ reportedly paid Gina Rinehart about $100 million for Riveren and Inverway stations, while also acquiring the 438,000ha Miranda Downs station at Normanton in 2021.

Meanwhile almost 900km east of Middleton, Wandoan producer Karen Howe has sold the 4242ha property Mayfield, located near Dingo in the Queensland Central Highlands.

It is understood a Emerald-based pastoral family have paid about $20 million to acquire the station, rated to carry 1400 adult equivalents on what is regarded as backgrounding, breeding and finishing country.

@AG Property and Livestock agent Damien Freney handled the sale of the Mayfield property which he said attracted solid interest including three written offers.

“The market is perhaps a bit conservative with interest rates and the current state of the cattle market. But a very good quality property like Mayfield will always sell,” Mr Freney said.