This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
A Chinese-Australian billionaire is offloading an expansive livestock aggregation in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, is set to test the market and draw in both domestic and international interest.
The Kimberley Cattle Portfolio spans more than 2.9 million hectares over six pastoral leases and six sub-leases and includes a rate rare combination of large-scale breeding capacity and irrigated finishing, with room for further building.
The 1,828,692-hectares of pastoral leases, 924,325-hectares of sub-leases and an agistment agreement over 153,475-hectares makes up a land parcel within a 350km radius with land types ranging from red Spinifex to black soil grasslands and river frontage.
Danny Thomas and Simon Wilkinson from LAWD are managing the sale of the aggregation via an expressions of interest campaign.
“This aggregation is special in that you can breed, background and finish, and the owners have done an excellent job in putting together a significant landholding that can be run as a single entity, including irrigated land to finish stock,” said Thomas, senior director at LAWD.
Haydn Sale, the general manager of the portfolio, said the close proximity of the properties has delivered marked management efficiency, which has been supported by an extensive development program.
“This business was essentially built around putting together an aggregation of properties that were close enough to work together to create key efficiencies, with potential to develop in a way that would escalate production,” said Sale.
“Over the past seven years we have put in place strategic watering points, fencing, yard, road and accommodation infrastructure to increase carrying capacity and create an entity that does not require management on every property, but can be run from a centralised management group, with teams deployed as needed.”
The properties include frontage to the Margaret River, Mary River, Louisa River and Christmas Creek, with extensive underground water resources and around 210-hectares developed to centre pivot irrigation with approval for an additional 294ha, underpinned by a 9,500ML irrigation licence on “Shamrock Station” from the Broome Sandstone aquifer.
“This is currently used to produce Rhodes Grass hay to supply fodder to the broader property group,” added Sale.
“The aggregation is unique in that it is a pastoral operation that can breed weaner and feeder cattle but has the option, with further investment, to go to a feedyard production model as well.”
The aggregation is owned by Chinese property mogul, Hui Wing Mau, with the Hui family’s Archstone Investment Group holding the SAWA grazing property aggregation, Argyle Cattle Co and snapping up the Yougawalla aggregation for around $70 million in 2017, before adding the SAWA grazing property aggregation.
“It is very rare to find a property in the region at this scale that can so easily pivot between live export to the north and the southern markets,” concluded Thomas.
The expressions of interest campaign for the Kimberley Cattle Portfolio is scheduled to close on 9 November 2023.
