Brahman cattle on Beetaloo, in the Barkly region during the current heavy wet

As another Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association conference concludes, we’ve focussed this week’s property review on the NT, with this item discussing recent NT listings and sales, and a separate article with rural sales specialists sharing their market insights

It’s been a particularly active 12 months for rural property sales across the Northern Territory.

Sales

• March 2026 – 6520ha Napier Downs and Jarradale is a freehold, backgrounding and mixed farming enterprise, 30km south of Katherine. It has 3000ha of developed country producing hay and quality grazing. It is currently under contract to prominent NT cattleman Tim Edmunds.
• The 147,510ha Aroona, 90km south-west of Katherine, is a well-developed breeding and backgrounding property purchased by the Buratovich family’s Cross Pacific Investments for $44m walk-in walk-out including more than 15,000 cattle and plant and equipment.
• December 2025 – 1,054,700ha Beetaloo, east of the Stuart Highway near Elliott, is a fully developed breeding and backgrounding asset comprising Beetaloo, Mungaroom and OT Downs Stations. It sold for $300m+ WIWO including 80,000 cattle to the neighbouring Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC).
• November – 447,500ha Murranji Station, south-west of Daly Waters was purchased by Australia’s largest private landowner Viv Oldfield for $44m plus 20,000 cattle.
• October – 111,000ha Hodgson River Station, 130km from Mataranka was secured by Queensland Santa Gertrudis breeders David and Suzanne Bassingthwaighte (Bass Cattle Co) for around $20m.
• July – 67,500ha Dorisvale Station, 350km south-west of Darwin, is a breeding property offering dryland farming potential. The Bathurst-based Schaffer family paid around $25m which included 15,000 cattle.

Rumoured transactions

Discussion at last week’s NTCA conference regarding the sale of the 451,177ha Benmara is, at this stage, considered premature. However, it is understood the selling agents are in negotiations with an interested party. The property is in the Barkly Tablelands region, around 100km west of the Queensland-Northern Territory border.

Quietly, listings in the NT are ticking along. A handful of major properties are either on the market or hovering just beneath the surface, Beef Central is told.

It is understood some have attracted offers, only for vendors to raise expectations as confidence grows. Others, particularly smaller or freehold properties are experiencing something unusual – a noticeable lack of interest, even when they are well developed.

Some of the current listings include:

• 204,000ha Vermelha Station is 200km south-east of Katherine and offered on a walk-in, walk-out basis, with around 15,000 head of cattle.
• 67,692ha Claravale Aggregation (61,382ha Claravale Station and 6310ha Claravale Farm) is located 89km north of Katherine. The dual-purpose enterprise supports both livestock and cropping operations, with the sale including 4000 head of cattle.
• 42,710ha Douglas West Station, 166km south of Darwin, is currently run as a cattle breeding and backgrounding operation. The reasonably undeveloped block offers potential for further development into dryland and irrigated cropping, cotton and carbon.
• 460,900ha Neutral Junction near Barrow Creek, 150km south of Tennant Creek, is a breeding and farming opportunity. A 1654ML underground water extraction licence feeds two centre pivots spanning 120ha of reclaimer Rhodes grass.
• 142,700ha Moroak and the 90,200ha Goondooloo Stations, in the Roper River region, 70km from Mataranka, together are a well-established breeding enterprise.
• 2027ha Kingfisher Station, 98km Katherine, is suited to cotton, horticulture, intensive fodder production and dryland cropping and/or grazing.
• 17,531ha Maud Creek is on the outskirts of Katherine. Offered on a bare basis, with a 519ML ground water extraction licence, it is suited to backgrounding, horticulture and agriculture.
• 29,330ha King River Station, 40km south-east of Katherine, is a breeding or cattle trading block with a permit to clear and grow some hay and dryland crops.
• 9620ha Edith Springsand neighbouring 3336ha Tarwoo Station, adjacent to the new cotton gin and 30km south-east of Katherine, is a cattle breeding enterprise offering potential buyers irrigation and feedlot potential.

Properties coming to market

Since late last year, rumours have been swirling about the potential sale of 14,342ha Blackbull Station purchased in June 2022 by fund manager Australian Agricultural Growth Partners.

It was the first major land acquisition specifically for dryland cotton production in the Northern Territory, with the $30 million sale price reflecting a significant premium over grazing land value in the region.

Situated in an annual 1200mm rainfall district, Blackbull Station is expected to serve as a key test for the Douglas Daly – considered the best region in the NT for growing dryland cotton.

While Beef Central understands several agents have been approached, at this stage, no one has been formally appointed to sell the property.