Australia’s biggest private landholding, which includes the world’s largest cattle station, is up for sale by S. Kidman and Co.
The ranch is about the size of New Hampshire, according to Time magazine. This ranch is just one (big) part of an entire parcel that’s for sale. The parcel consists of several cattle ranches scattered across South Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Together, the ranches make up a total of 1.6 percent of the continent’s total land area, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Eleven cattle stations covering more than 100,000 square kilometres are being offered, including all stock and equipment.
S. Kidman and Co. is a majority family owned business, with 98 percent of the shares in the unlisted public company owned by members of the Kidman family.
The company was founded by Sir Sidney Kidman in 1899 and has been in the hands of family members for over 100 years. The family shareholders are Australia’s largest private landholders.
The business now includes a cattle feedlot and cattle stations across Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia.
Anna Creek Station in South Australia’s outback is the largest at 23,000 square kilometres.
Other holdings include Durham Downs, Durrie, Glengyle, Morney Plains, Naryilco and Rockybank in Queensland; Innamincka, Macumba and Tungali in South Australia; Helen Springs in the Northern Territory and Ruby Plains in Western Australia.
“This is a world class asset of international significance,” said Alex Thamm a rural valuer with Colliers International.
“With cattle prices, our trade agreements with Asia and the low Australian dollar, it is a very good time to be selling the Kidman business.
“An offer of assets of this calibre are not common.”
Alex Thamm said the business has been built up over multiple generations, a fact that will appeal to buyers.
Sale of iconic Australian pastoral giant attracts Chinese, US, Swiss interest
Around half of the potential bidders showing an interest in buying Australia’s biggest private land holder, S Kidman & Co, are from overseas, the historic pastoral company’s managing director says.
An information memorandum will be released to prospective buyers who have signed a confidentiality agreement in the coming days afterthe 116-year-old company announced it was up for sale in April.
“There’s a list of several dozen [so far] who are keen to get hold of that information,” managing director Greg Campbell said.
“At least half of those people are Australian based … a spread of funds, syndicates of investors, wealthy individuals, established agricultural entities.
“There’s around half that’s offshore.
“There’s a significant proportion from China, but surprisingly there’s also strong interest out of America and Switzerland.”
