Danny Thomas, Tom Russo, David Goodfellow: the agents behind Australia’s biggest farm sales
Australia’s rural property market is on fire. As interest in the sector grows, meet the agents behind the biggest and most iconic sales.
The Australian rural property market continues to reach new heights, with billions of dollars changing hands over the past 12 months.
And with many more big deals to come, The Weekly Times takes a look at some of the biggest agents in the industry.
These agents have brokered some of the biggest rural property sales of the past year. Find out what properties they have sold and for how much.
DANNY THOMAS
LAWD SENIOR DIRECTOR
If there is one name that is synonymous with rural real estate it is Danny Thomas.
Mr Thomas is a guru of the rural property market, brokering some of the biggest farming deals across Australia
After working with CBRE for eight years, Mr Thomas resigned in 2020, joining new real estate company LAWD, which was established by ex-CBRE colleague Col Medway, former Hassad Australia and AgCap chief executive officer John McKillop and Melbourne real estate agent Peter Sagar.
In December last year, Danny Thomas said his team had sold $1.2 billion of farming assets during 2021, with a further $800 million to come.
Since working with LAWD Mr Thomas has been involved in some mega deals including:
$600 MILLION: Lawson Grains Portfolio in NSW and Western Australia (105,000ha)
$370 MILLION: Corinella Group Portfolio in western Victoria and South Australia (22,500ha)
Mr Thomas also has a handle on a series of major sales which are expected to fall soon:
$400 MILLION-PLUS: Proterra Investment Partners’ Vaucluse, One Tree and Racecourse portfolios (42,467ha)
$250 MILLION: goFARM, Cobram and Numurkah, VIC (6000ha)
$120 MILLION: Cowal Agriculture aggregation, Emerald, QLD, (5976ha)
COL MEDWAY
LAWD SENIOR DIRECTOR
Working alongside Danny Thomas is one of the key figures at LAWD, senior director Col Medway.
Mr Medway has more than 30 years of experience within the agricultural sector, including 27 years within the stock and station agency industry.
Mr Medway has brokered deals for rural assets worth more than $1 billion in the last five years alone.
The licensed auctioneer is based on his family’s grazing property at Gunning, NSW, where he is now the fourth generation to own and operate the farm.
Some of Mr Medway’s most notable deals include:
$600 MILLION :Lawson Grains Portfolio, NSW and WA (105,000ha)
$185 MILLION: Sustainable Agricultural Fund, NSW, VIC and TAS (24,000ha)
Currently, he is also working on securing deals for the sales of :
$150 MILLION: Lake Boga Agriculture Portfolio VIC (9000ha)
$20 MILLION: Stony Batter Aggregation, NSW (3200ha)
TOM RUSSO
ELDERS GENERAL MANAGER REAL ESTATE
Based in South Australia, Tom Russo is one of the key players in the rural real estate game.
Millions of hectares of Australian cattle stations have changed hands in the past 12 months and via Tom Russo, Elders has played a big part.
In September 2021, Gina Rinehart, via Hancock Agriculture and S Kidman and Co businesses, offloaded three Western Australian cattle stations for close to $100 million.
Nerrima, the Ruby Plains and Sturt Creek pastoral stations were all sold with Mr Russo brokering the deal.
Then in February 2022, Elders confirmed Crown Point Pastoral had become Australia’s largest landholder after a 3.26 million hectare purchase.
The Crown Point Pastoral deal included the Ruby Plains and Sturt Creek stations and was in the final stages of securing the Innamincka Station (1.36 million hectares) and Macumba Station (1.1 million hectares) in South Australia as well as the Phoenix Park feedlot (3443 hectares).
NICK MYER
ELDERS REAL ESTATE MANAGER - VIC/NSW RIVERINA
Based in Melbourne, Nick Myer leads the company’s operations across the eastern seaboard.
Mr Myer is involved in some of the largest rural real estate transactions, working with local and foreign agricultural land investors, including corporate and family offices, fund managers, and significant primary production operators.
Recently, Mr Myer has brokered headline deals including the $60m-plus sale of Yarrabee Park, the Sunland Agriculture Aggregation at Hillston and the historic Victorian Glenburn and Murrindindi Stations.
A $12 million farm, Tyburn at Cressy, is also on the market with Mr Myer managing the sale.
ROB RICKARD
ELDERS REAL ESTATE MANAGER CAMPERDOWN
Based in Victoria’s southwest, Rob Rickard is a perennial quiet achiever with more than 25 years experience in both rural and residential property.
The licensed real estate agent and auctioneer has been awarded the Elders number one salesperson in Victoria seven times in a row through 2011 to 2017.
In 2020 Mr Rickard was inducted in to the ‘Masters Club’ in recognition of his sales success.
In the past few years Mr Rickard has been selling a series of family farms, dairy and cropping throughout the southwest.
He was also involved in brokering the $70 million Woorndoo Aggregation at Lake Bolac, where two Australian buyers snapped up the 3350ha farms.
DAVID GOODFELLOW
CBRE AUSTRALIA AGRIBUSINESS MANAGING DIRECTOR
In 2021, David Goodfellow joined CBRE Australia after a series of rural real estate personnel left the business.
And with over 30 years of experience in leadership roles with some of the country’s biggest agribusiness investors, he was tasked with reshaping the organisation.
A key part of his tenure with CBRE includes the marketing and sale of the $120 million Shenhua aggregation in January 2022.
Across his career Mr Goodfellow has worked with Elders Rural Services, ran Paraway Pastoral Company for Macquarie Infrastructure, AustOn, a subsidiary of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and in November, 2019 created The Clearbrook Group, an asset management group.
GEOFF WARRINER
JLL AGRIBUSINESS DIRECTOR
Geoff Warriner works with big, big numbers, brokering deals for some of the biggest farm sales across the northern parts of the Australia.
Based in Brisbane, Mr Warriner has handled the deals of some of Australia’s top pastoral enterprises.
In 2019 Mr Warriner and JLL brokered the $21 million deal for the 381,700ha Suplejack Downs station, near Alice Springs, which was sold to Robert Savage and family.
In 2020 he also handled the listing of the a 77,747ha Winton beef cattle property, with a carrying capacity of 9000 head.
And in 2022 Mr Warriner is looking to broker the sale of a Queensland cotton farm which could fetch $400m.
MATT HORNE
ELDERS REAL ESTATE MANAGER AND WATER BROKER DENILIQUIN.
Across northern Victoria and the NSW Riverina region, Matt Horne is a key figure in brokering major property details.
The Real Estate Manager and Water Broker at Elders Rural Real Estate - Riverina was raised on a farming property in the Southern Riverina.
And with the deep-rooted knowledge of the area, Mr Horne has been a recent point of call for many farmers and investors as they look to get active in the property market.
Most recently Mr Horne has helped secure deals for the sale of Yarrabee Park, the Sunland Agriculture Aggregation at Hillston and in 2021 he brokered the sale of Rosewood Park and Sandy Creek aggregation near Mulwala.
He is also brokering the sale of a 2000ha Swan Hill riverfront farm.
RAWDON BRIGGS
COLLIERS HEAD OF AGRIBUSINESS, TRANSACTION SERVICES
As a fifth generation rural land owner in Central Queensland, Rawdon Briggs is an expert in rural property.
Mr Briggs specialises in beef, cotton, horticulture and grain commodities dealing with corporate farmers, traditional farming family owners or operators as they seek the best deal for their property.
Across recent years Mr Briggs has been involved in farm sales worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including several headline sales such as the sale of Aroona Station, NT and the $25m sale of Lynora Downs.
Expect to see Mr Briggs’ in print in the coming months, with the agent handling the sales of three key farms at Walhallow station, Mt Doreen station and Kingower station.
JAMES BEER
COLLIERS NATIONAL DIRECTOR TRANSACTION SERVICES AGRIBUSINESS
With almost 10 years of experience in the divestment of large scale rural holdings across all asset classes, James Beer is an experienced campaigner.
While Mr Beer is based out of Colliers International’s Sydney office, he is responsible for the disposal of assets across New South Wales and throughout Australia.
Throughout his budding career, Mr Beer has secured several headline sales including the sale and leaseback of the Flavorite Warragul Glasshouse, in Victoria for $177 million.
Mr Beer also brokered the sale of Yaloak Estate in Ballan, Victoria for $58 million and was part of the sale of the Sustainable Agriculture Fund’s assets in various locations, for circa $185 million.
Currently, Mr Beer is courting offers for around $30m worth of Victorian cropping land with key land for sale in the Western Districts and in the Mallee.
CHRIS MEARES
MEARES AND ASSOCIATES CHIEF EXECUTIVE
As a licensed real estate agent, stock and station agent, registered valuer and auctioneer, Chris Meares has all the tools of the rural property trade.
And right now he is in the hot seat with a mega cattle station deal waiting in the wings.
The blue-ribbon Upton Farms aggregation is for sale with a price expectation of $80m-$100m.
The deal would be one of Mr Meares biggest in his career which spans 48 years in the agribusiness industry 48 years.
In this time, Mr Meares has been involved in the sales and marketing of many of Australia’s leading rural properties including the historic New England property, Prestwick, in 2018.
He also brokered the deal for the sale of the 2000ha Scotts Creek residence in 2018 and helped former PM Malcolm Turnbull assess his property options.
NICK ADAMSON
CHARLES STEWART DIRECTOR, BRANCH MANAGER, REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT
In 2010 Nick Adamson joined the Charles Stewart organisation with Andrew Dufty to form Charles Stewart Western Victoria with branches at Warrnambool and Hamilton.
Currently, they are one of the premier rural, lifestyle and residential real estate companies throughout the greater southwest of Victoria.
Some deals of note handled by Mr Adamson include the sale of the 1304ha Banool farm at Gatum near Cavendish for around $20 million.
Earlier this year, Mr Adamson sold a farm auction near Edenhope for a price of $9198 per hectare.
Under Mr Adamson’s management the company has also listed a two-storey colonial 1860s Georgian style homestead for sale.
DUNCAN MCCULLOCH
COLLIERS NATIONAL DIRECTOR, TRANSACTION SERVICES RURAL AND AGRIBUSINESS
One of Colliers key directors, based in Melbourne, has had a had in many headline farm sales over the past few years.
Duncan McCulloch has a range of agribusiness experience, specialising in giving investors the best return and divestment solutions in the sale of large-scale rural landholdings.
In particular, Mr McCulloch helped broker the major deals including the sale of Yaloak Estate in Ballan, Victoria for $58 million.
He was also one of the key players in the sale of the Sustainable Agriculture Fund, across various locations for circa $185 million.
Currently, he is working on securing a deal for the Merriwa Pastoral Company who are selling their Mallee cropping portfolio.
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