Property

Beetaloo sells for $300m plus in one of Australia’s biggest cattle station deals

James Nason 15/12/2025
Beetaloo sells for $300m plus in one of Australia’s biggest cattle station deals

Cattle drinking at a trough on Beetaloo Station.

The 2025 rural property sales year has ended with a bang, with the sale of Northern Territory cattle station Beetaloo for a price believed to be more than $300 million, ranking as one of Australia’s largest single cattle property transactions on record.

The one million hectare holding – which comprises Beetaloo, Mungaroom and OT Downs stations – has been sold by billionaire retailer Brett Blundy and Jane and Scott Armstrong to Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC).

The walk-in, walk-out deal includes 80,000 well-bred Brahman and Brahman-cross cattle and comprises extensive plant and machinery, including trucks, planes and helicopters.

The sale comes just a week after Beef Central reported the $180 million sale of the 342,000 hectare Julia Creek station, carrying 45,000 flatback crossbred cattle, to the Hughes family.

Parties to the Beetaloo transaction are subject to a strict non-disclosure agreement. However, it is understood all regulatory approvals have been completed and the sale has been registered with the Northern Territory Land Titles Office.

The Beetaloo purchase delivers CPC a substantial step forward in scale and production capacity, lifting its total herd above 400,000 head and expanding its landholding to more than 5.5 million hectares.

The Beetaloo group of properties neighbours CPC’s existing Barkly Tableland “jewel in the crown”, Newcastle Waters, along its eastern and northern boundaries.

The substantial NT holding was offered to the market in January 2023, when it was tipped to fetch $300 million-plus on a walk-in, walk-out basis. It is understood CPC was among the parties to inspect Beetaloo at that time, but a sale did not eventuate.

Beetaloo is renowned for its water and fencing infrastructure, developed by the late John Dunnicliff and his wife Trish and their family since 2002 and in more recent years under the co-ownership of Brett Blundy, which increased utilisation and overall carrying capacity from about 20,000 head to more than 80,000 head.

Even with the addition of hundreds of water points, it is believed further development potential remains across the vast holding.

Beef Central understands CPC has been seeking a larger-scale northern property for some time and was also among the parties to inspect Millungera.

Beetaloo was sold by Brett Blundy, founder and former chairman of BB Retail Capital, alongside Jane and Scott Armstrong, the daughter and son-in-law of John and Trish Dunnicliff.

The property has been used for breeding and backgrounding cattle and is located east of the Stuart Highway near Elliott, south of Amungee Mungee, on the north-western edge of the Barkly Tablelands. Its location provides access to Darwin Port, as well as to southern and eastern cattle markets.

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Comments

  1. GaryEvans
    16/12/2025

    I enjoyed reading the Beetaloo abridged report on the water scheme.
    The sale of the relevant aggregation is world news.
    In 1959 I toured Cape York properties with the late Bill Gunn. Bill, later Sir William, had convinced Texas cattle barons to finance an aggregation of Cape York peninsula properties with regular rainfalls
    From memory the aggregation include huge holdings Silver Planes and Bertihall(sic). Sadly the scheme failed but it was a visionary exercise.
    I wonder if there’s is any archival material on the project.
    Gary Evans
    Retired Journalist.

    <strong>Thanks for your input, Gary. We remember the Silver Plains project (just east of Coen) well, from the distant past. The second property you were referring to was Bertiehaugh. Northern Australia is littered with visionary development projects from the 1950s and 60s - often financed by overseas investors from the US. Think of Lakeland Downs, Tipperary (Dillinghams US era), Scott Creek/Willeroo (NADC), Humpty Doo rice, Cambellin in the Kimberley. All of them failed, for various reasons. We might try to pull together a summary some time. Editor </strong>

  2. Dianda Gaslevich
    15/12/2025

    congratulations to Scotty and Jane I'm so happy for you all . Enjoy your next adventure 😁🎊 much love from Dee

  3. Ann Ballinger
    15/12/2025

    Congratulations to the vendors and purchasers of Beetaloo. Great praise must go to John and Trish Dunicliffe and their family , outside investors and all the team from RCS who had the foresight to jump out of the square and turn Beetaloo into a beef factory in a sustainable innovative fashion.