Gina Rinehart snaps up NSW cattle farm in $75m deal

Australia’s richest person has bought her third NSW cattle farm of the year, acquiring a landmark 5000ha property from a UK businessman. See all the details.

Billionaire Gina Rinehart has added yet another property to her multibillion-dollar rural empire, paying $75m for a farm in NSW.

The Weekly Times understands Ms Rinehart has purchased the 5003ha Wirribilla property near Walcha in the New England region. Wirribilla was offered to the market last October by UK businessman Sam Swire and was expected to fetch more than $70m.

It’s understood the deal was finalised through S.Kidman & Co, of which Ms Rinehart — Australia’s richest person — is the majority shareholder. S Kidman & Co declined to comment on the transaction.

Wirribilla is Ms Rinehart’s third major grazing acquisition in NSW this year alone, bringing her companies’ spend in 2025 to more than $180m to secure about 22,000ha of grazing country.
In January, her Hancock Agriculture business paid more than $70m for the 10,000ha Wongaboori Station near Mendooran in central west NSW. More recently, S Kidman & Co snapped up the 7000ha Jindabyne Station near Inverell for $35m.

Wirribilla is suited to both sheep and cattle, estimated to carry 73,000 dry sheep equivalent annually.

Jindabyne has the capacity to run 3500 breeding cows and will be integrated into the expanding Kidman Premium Wagyu operation.

Ms Rinehart owns a 67 per cent stake in S. Kidman & Co, with China’s Shanghai CRED owning the remaining 33 per cent share.

The purchase of Wirribilla is the latest in a series of moves which have dramatically reshaped the famed S.Kidman & Co pastoral empire.

In recent years the company carved off 10 of the country’s most famous cattle stations, totalling a combined 6.7 million hectares, with an aim to target the production of higher-value cattle like Wagyu.

UK businessman Sam Swire has sold his 5003ha grazing property, Wirribilla, near Walcha NSW, to Gina Rinehart’s S.Kidman & Co.

Wirribilla is suited to any combination of cattle and sheep, comfortably rated to carry 73,000 dry sheep equivalent annually, with pastures improved across 87 per cent of the property.

The property was previously part of the Swire Group’s Clyde Agriculture portfolio, after they acquired it in 2004, but it was carved off to Mr Swire amid the family’s 2013 selldown of their $300m agricultural portfolio.

This divestment saw the Swire Group exit Australian agriculture as they sold 10 properties spanning 270,000ha across northern NSW and southern Queensland between 2010 and 2014.

The Swire family fortune was built off the back of major global logistics business John Swire & Sons business, which ran China Navigation, Cathay Pacific Airways and the Frigmobile refrigerated transport.

LAWD senior director Col Medway and agent Daniel McCulloch handled the sale of Wirribilla but were unable to comment on the transaction.