A Queensland cattle company, backed by a Canadian pension fund, has bought 1.1 million hectares in Central Australia for nearly $100 million.
Hewitt Cattle Australia (HCA) has sealed a deal for the adjoining Narwietooma, Napperby, Glen Helen and Derwent stations, around 165 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs.
The transaction was worth just over $96 million, according to documents from the NT Land Titles office.
ABC Rural understands the sale price included cattle — HCA has estimated the carrying capacity of the properties at around 35,000 head.
The Narwietooma aggregation was owned by the Edmunds family, which also sold Ambalindum and Numery Stations, north-east of Alice Springs, to HCA in 2017.
PSP Investments, a pension fund for Canada's public servants, has backed property purchases by HCA in both the NT and Queensland since at least 2015.
'One of largest organic land parcels in world'
HCA has been focusing on increasing its organic operations, seeing Central Australia as a good place to produce organic beef.
"We have continuing confidence in the strategic value of building production capability in Central Australia," HCA's chief operating officer Ben Hewitt said.
"Considered one of the largest contiguous certified organic land parcels in the world, this is a vast and unique holding located in a region ideally suited to organic beef production.
"Central Australian cattle require minimal inputs and are provided with large areas of natural pasture to graze, which means that organic [farming] perfectly suits the production methods of the region."
HCA owns a number of other organic cattle properties in central and south-east Queensland, alongside organic sheep properties in New South Wales.
"Our business is rapidly moving toward a fully integrated supply chain model," HCA chief executive Mick Hewitt said.
"The acquisition of the Narwietooma aggregation, along with several other exciting initiatives currently underway across the supply chain, will support greater continuity for our global customers, and in turn support future growth and opportunity for our supplier network."
Tim Edmunds, who previously owned the properties with wife Emily, declined to comment on the sale.
