In this week's rural property update: Kylie Dulhunty reports on changes to grazing land values, a northern Queensland cattle station for sale, Moree cropping property sold for more than $19 million, a courthouse auction and even an abolone farm for sale.
Record livestock values are reshaping Australia’s grazing property market, with surging enterprise revenues underpinning land prices even as herd numbers tighten.
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the national beef herd fell 2.6% to 27.6 million head in 2024-25, a result that might typically signal weakness.
Instead, it reflects a sector capitalising on strong global demand and historically high prices.
Ray White Group Head of Research Vanessa Rader said the decline was not a negative indicator, but a sign of strength.
“The herd declined not because beef farming lost its appeal, but because the enterprise was performing well enough that producers chose to sell,” she said.
That performance is evident in the numbers.
The value of cattle disposals surged 33.7%t to $17.1 billion nationally, while sheep and lamb disposals jumped 37.7% to $5.1 billion.
“Fewer cattle on the ground, but significantly more value per beast sold,” Ms Rader said.
For the rural property market, those figures are critical.
Enterprise profitability remains the primary driver of grazing land values, and the latest data shows a direct correlation between livestock performance and price growth across key states.
Queensland stands out as the strongest cattle story.
With the nation’s largest herd at 13.5 million head and the only state to record growth, confidence is flowing into land values, which lifted 10.25% to $8,540 per hectare.
“Producers adding to or holding their cattle numbers are signalling confidence in the enterprise going forward,” Ms Rader said.
In contrast, NSW and Victoria recorded sharp herd declines, driven largely by dry conditions, with land values softening modestly.
However, strong sheep prices helped offset the downturn, particularly in mixed grazing regions.
Western Australia delivered the most striking result, with grazing land values rising more than 18% to just over $20,000 per hectare, supported by strong performances across both cattle and sheep enterprises.
“WA’s grazing country is carrying both cattle and sheep enterprises that each had strong years, and the land market has priced that in,” Ms Rader said.
Nationally, constrained supply reinforced values.
Transaction volumes remain well below the 2021 peak, limiting stock available to buyers and amplifying competition for quality assets.
“The combination of record enterprise revenues, a herd positioned to rebuild, and limited properties coming to market makes this a significant period for Australian grazing country,” Ms Rader said.
For investors and operators alike, the message is clear: record livestock values are not just lifting farm incomes, they are redefining the value of the land itself.
Size: Strathalbyn Station (32,916ha), Tabletop Station (18,970ha)
Location: Collinsville, QLD
Sale method: EOI
Price guide: N/A
Two large-scale North Queensland cattle operations with a combined carrying capacity of more than 14,000 adult equivalents have been brought to market by the Hughes family’s Wentworth Cattle Company.
Strathalbyn Station and Tabletop Station, both located near Collinsville in the Burdekin region, are being offered for sale via expressions of interest through Queensland Rural and VEIVERS Property.
VEIVERS Property’s Grant Veivers and Queensland Rural’s Troy Trevor are selling the stations, with Mr Veivers noting they represented a rare offering in a tightly held region.
“Strathalbyn and Tabletop represent a substantial, institutional-scale aggregation in a tightly held and strategically located region,” he said.
“With reliable rainfall, excellent infrastructure, and proximity to key markets, opportunities of this calibre are seldom offered to the market.”
Strathalbyn Station spans about 32,916ha (81,337 acres) and is located 68km north-west of Collinsville and 216km north-west of Mackay.
The fully operational Wagyu breeding enterprise is currently carrying about 9,500 adult equivalents and will be sold on a walk-in walk-out basis, including livestock, plant and equipment.
The property has undergone significant development in recent years and is now divided into 102 paddocks supported by an extensive laneway system.
It also features about 15km of Burdekin River frontage, 24 equipped bores, 14 dams and a 400ML supplemented water licence.
Pasture development includes about 500ha of Para Grass and 800ha of Leucaena, alongside established Buffel, Rhodes and Green Panic pastures and productive legumes.
Institutional-grade infrastructure across the holding includes multiple accommodation options, extensive shedding and four established sets of cattle yards.
Nearby, Tabletop Station covers about 18,970ha (46,877 acres) and is currently operating as a breeder and backgrounding property carrying about 4,600 adult equivalents.
Located 23km north of Collinsville and 177km north-west of Mackay, the property is improved with 32 paddocks linked by a laneway system to modern steel cattle yards with a 1,500-head capacity.
Water infrastructure includes 16 equipped bores, 35 dams and a number of semi-permanent creek waterholes.
The holding also features a modern four-bedroom homestead, three-bedroom cottage, self-contained one-bedroom donga and additional two-bedroom accommodation incorporated into the machinery shed.
Size: 1389ha
Location: Moree, NSW
Sale price: $19.1 million
A tightly held north-west NSW cropping aggregation has changed hands for $19.1 million, with prominent Goondiwindi producers Reardon Farms securing the neighbouring properties after a competitive auction campaign.
Trenayr and Nanima, spanning 1389ha near Moree, were sold under the hammer after more than 50 years of ownership by the Fing family.
The highly developed dryland cropping enterprise, located 27km south-east of Moree, attracted strong interest during the campaign, with four registered bidders competing in a packed auction room at the Moree Town & Country Club.
Hennessy Real Estate Moree agent Ed Wisemantel sold the property.
The successful buyers, Robert and Jennie Reardon, are well-known cotton growers and cattle producers with extensive operations across northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. Their holdings include the neighbouring Kotaki property.
The purchase follows the family’s landmark sale of the 26,855ha Worral Creek Aggregation between Talwood and Mungindi in southern Queensland in 2024 in a deal worth about $350 million.
More than 96 per cent of Trenayr and Nanima, about 1340ha, is arable and features fertile grey to black self-mulching soils known for moisture retention and reliable crop establishment.
The aggregation has a long history of winter and summer cropping production under a no-till farming system and is suited to wheat, barley, chickpeas and canola, as well as sorghum, cotton, corn and mung beans.
Infrastructure across the holding includes two homes, machinery sheds, grain storage and centralised grain handling facilities.
The property also benefits from bitumen road frontage and close proximity to grain receival sites and cotton gins.
During the campaign, the listing described Trenayr and Nanima as “a turnkey broadacre cropping opportunity, offering scale, efficiency and the ability for a new owner to step in and continue or enhance an already productive enterprise”.
Size: 35-37 Nullawarra St (0.44ha), 27 Singleton Drive (685.8ha)
Location: Canbelego and Cobar, NSW
Sale method: AuctionsPlus auction
Price guide: N/A
A former courthouse in a historic mining village and a large-scale development opportunity on the edge of Cobar are set to go under the hammer online later this month via AuctionsPlus.
The two western NSW properties are being marketed by David Russell of Nutrien Harcourts Cobar, who says both listings offer something increasingly rare in today’s market.
At Canbelego, about 48km from Cobar, the former courthouse at 35-37 Nullawarra St is offering buyers the chance to secure a unique piece of regional history.
The property, which sits on two adjoining lots, was formerly the Canbelego Courthouse servicing the once-thriving mining village and features five large bedrooms, soaring 10-foot ceilings, timber-lined walls and multiple wood fireplaces.
A spacious lounge room opens onto an easterly verandah through double doors, while the home also includes a kitchen and dining area with electric stove and wood heater, reverse-cycle airconditioning, ceiling fans, a storage shed and multiple water tanks.
Mr Russell said the property had generated strong interest from interstate buyers searching for an affordable rural lifestyle change or tourism opportunity.
“It’s a lovely old-style home and it used to be the original courthouse for the village of Canbelego,” he said.
“The block next door was where they used to keep the horses and coaches, so you really are buying a slice of history.”
Mr Russell said the property would also suit buyers looking to establish short-stay accommodation.
“It would be ideal for an Airbnb-style setup because people just want to get out into the country and switch off for a while,” he said.
Meanwhile, at 27 Singleton Drive in Cobar, a 686ha holding combining freehold and Western Lands Lease country is being marketed as a major lifestyle and development opportunity.
Located just 6km from Cobar, the property includes 78.9ha of freehold land zoned R5 Residential with potential to be subdivided into about 38 two-hectare lots, subject to council approval.
The holding features sealed road frontage, town water, elevated homesites, fertile grazing country, timbered areas and a large earth dam.
Mr Russell said the property’s development potential was attracting strong attention.
“It’s right on the edge of town and there’s a lot of potential there,” he said.
“With the housing crisis in Cobar, an astute buyer could subdivide part of it while still keeping plenty of country at the back for lifestyle or grazing use.”
Both properties will be auctioned online via AuctionsPlus on Friday, May 22, with 35-37 Nullawarra St, Canbelego, at 11am (AEST) and 27 Singleton Drive, Cobar, at 12pm (AEST).
Size: 12.9ha
Location: Clarence Point, TAS
Sale method: EOI closing May 15 at 4pm (AEST).
Price guide: N/A
A large-scale, fully operational aquaculture enterprise in northern Tasmania has been brought to market, offering investors an immediate entry into the growing premium seafood sector.
The ABTAS Marketing Abalone and Fish Farm, located at the mouth of the Tamar River, is being sold through an expressions of interest campaign managed by Colliers.
The process is being conducted on behalf of the voluntary administrators of Australian Ocean Biotechnology and ABTAS Marketing, following their appointment in April.
The sale presents a going-concern opportunity, with the business capable of producing more than 50 tonnes of abalone annually, alongside more than 90 tonnes across other species.
The fully licensed operation is underpinned by a secure long-term lease with TasPorts, providing a level of operational certainty in what is a tightly regulated and supply-constrained industry.
Colliers National Director of Agribusiness Duncan McCulloch said the offering stood out for both its scale and future potential.
“This is a rare chance to acquire a fully developed, land-based aquaculture operation with existing scale, licences in place and substantial future upside,” Mr McCulloch said.
“With strong global demand for premium abalone and increasing focus on sustainable and controlled production methods, this facility offers an outstanding foundation for expansion, diversification into additional species or value-added processing.”
The site spans about 12.9ha of flat, developable land and is supported by significant infrastructure, including a processing facility, hatchery, nursery, grow-out tanks, pump shed, workshop and offices.
Reliable access to water and strong power connectivity further enhance its operational capability.
The offering also includes about 18 tonnes of mature hybrid abalone and about 10 tonnes of juvenile stock, which may be acquired as part of the going concern or separately.
Positioned within one of Tasmania’s most established aquaculture regions, the property benefits from close proximity to ports, major transport links and supporting infrastructure, reinforcing its appeal for both domestic and export-focused operators.
Given the active nature of the business and the short campaign timeframe, interested parties are being urged to move quickly, with expressions of interest closing on May 15 at 4pm (AEST).
Kylie Dulhunty is a journalist with more than 20 years experience covering everything from court to health. Today, Kylie loves nothing more than turning market trends, industry insights and epic property sales - residential, rural and commercial - into captivating stories.
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