THE iconic Mount Schanck sheep and cattle station has been sold to Thomas Foods International for more than $50m.
The transaction represents one of the state’s largest agribusiness deals given the property covered 2870ha, a 5000 megalitres of ground water entitlement and a historic homestead.
Selling agents Danny Thomas and Phil Schell – from CBRE Agribusiness – placed the prominent property on the market in October.
It was the first time the property – located south of Mount Gambier – had been offered to the open market in history.
“The property was sold on a walk-in walk-out basis a week before the official expression of interest campaign was due to close on November 3,” Mr Thomas said.
Mount Schanck was purchased in 2005 for the Evans Family by the late Ron Evans AM, former chairman of the AFL, president of the Essendon Football Club and managing director of Spotless Group.
The property was secured in an off-market deal from the Clarke family, which had owned Mount Schanck for more than 140 years, having purchased the property from the Arthur brothers of Van Diemans Land in 1861.
“Mount Schanck is an iconic investment-scale asset,” Mr Thomas said.
“It is incredibly rare for landholdings of this scale that have such a unique position in the history of Australian agriculture to be presented to the market.”
The property was offered for sale on a walk-in-walk-out basis inclusive of more than 2000 Angus cows with calves from Rennylea, TeMania and Landfall bloodlines and heifer replacements, along with around 2500 composite ewes with lambs at foot.
Operational improvements comprise a stately four-bedroom, circa 1864 homestead set within manicured gardens, in addition to numerous additional high-quality staff residences, a circa 1875, six-stand shearing shed, shearer’s quarters and “as new” Pratley sheep and cattle yards.
“The property features a combination of extensively developed improvements, high quality soil types, excellent climatic characteristics and outstanding operational infrastructure,” Mr Thomas said.
Although based near Mount Schank, the property name is spelled differently to the South East landmark.
