British billionaire’s land grab hits new peak with holding now the size of Tasmania
A British billionaire’s relentless acquisition spree of Australian agricultural land has reached a staggering new milestone, with his company’s total holdings now spanning an area almost the size of Tasmania.
English financier Guy Hands, through his agricultural powerhouse Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC), has snapped up Madura Plains Station, a sprawling 712,638-hectare property in remote Western Australia, for more than $30 million.
This monumental deal, which includes a substantial flock of 40,000 sheep and a goat herd, pushes CPC’s total Aussie land ownership to an eye-watering 6,212,638 hectares – or 62,126.38 square kilometres.
To put that into perspective, it’s roughly the entire landmass of Tasmania, and larger than several European nations including Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium.
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Guy Hands has been on a farming spending spree in Australia. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The acquisition of Madura Plains is merely the latest chapter in Hands’ aggressive expansion. Last year, CPC made headlines with its purchase of Rawlinna Station, Australia’s largest sheep station, for over $20 million.
This was swiftly followed by the colossal $315 million-plus acquisition of the 1,054,700-hectare Beetaloo Station cattle aggregation in the Northern Territory.
With these recent additions, CPC now boasts 12 aggregations across Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory, managing an estimated $1.6 billion in assets.
The company runs approximately 400,000 head of cattle, 45,000 goats, and cultivates a diverse range of crops, including its iconic Isis Downs Station.
Madura Plains Station in Western Australia sold for more than $30m.
The station is Hands 12th Aussie farm.
CPC Chief Executive Troy Seter highlighted the strategic importance of the Madura Plains acquisition, stating, “The opportunity to combine Rawlinna and Madura Plains was very compelling and will allow us to achieve significant operational efficiencies.”
He added that the integration creates “the largest sheep station in the world,” accelerating CPC’s ambition to build out its sheep platform within a diversified portfolio that also includes cattle, goat, and wool production.
For the Cooper family, a South Australian farming dynasty, the sale brings an end to their decade of ownership of Madura Plains.
CPC now owns 62,126.38 square kilometres of Aussie land – that’s almost the size of Tasmania.
The fifth-generation family business, led by Leith and Averil Cooper and their sons David (Seth) and Tom, had developed the station into a “best in class modern sheep station.”
Seth Cooper expressed pride in their achievements, noting, “We are proud that we have achieved our vision and it’s now the right time for us to deliver the finished product to a new custodian.”
Elders Real Estate chief executive Tom Russo, who brokered the sale, underscored the confidence in Australia’s sheep and wool production industry, stating, “Ultimately, it’s exciting to see CPC invest again after their recent acquisition of Rawlinna.”
Canadian pension fund joins the land grab
However, the sheer scale of foreign ownership continues to raise questions about the future landscape of Australian agriculture, with Guy Hands far from the only international player on a spending spree.
In 2025, a major Canadian pension fund significantly expanded its footprint, acquiring full ownership of a sprawling Riverina farming aggregation in a deal valued at an impressive $500 million.
PSP Investments, through its Australian Food & Fibre (AFF) joint venture, swept in to acquire the entire 30,000-hectare Kooba aggregation near Griffith, New South Wales, by buying out co-investors Chris Corrigan and David Fitzsimons.
Kooba station near Griffith in New South Wales also sold to a foreign investor.
This colossal transaction marked veteran businessman Mr Corrigan’s emphatic exit from his largest agricultural holding, fuelled by his outspoken frustration over federal Labor’s water buyback policy.
“Enough is enough. Labor and the Greens are hellbent on destroying Australian agriculture,” he told The Australian Financial Review in April.
“I decided there are better things to do with your money. You’re fighting constantly against the people who want to destroy Australia’s agricultural capacity. Maybe bigger fish can do it, but for me it’s tiring to fight uphill against those forces.”
Kooba, a powerhouse previously under ASX-listed Webster Limited, boasts extensive cotton, cropping, and livestock operations, alongside a significant 1400 hectares of almond orchards. With Foreign Investment Review Board approval secured, PSP Investments, managing funds for Canadian public service workers and police officers, now commands an $8 billion portfolio of Australian farmland and water assets, a testament to the global appetite for our agricultural might.
