Carbeen Park near Katherine in the Northern Territory has been bought by Heytesbury Pastoral Company for $12.8 million.
The 7,390-hectare freehold property includes a 750-megalitre a year water extraction licence from the Katherine River. It was advertised as "prime agricultural land quality river levee soils perfect for horticulture, cropping, hay, and pasture". Elders agent Alison Ross said the new owners were focused on livestock production and "Carbeen was a perfect fit".Heytesbury Pastoral is owned and managed by the Holmes à Court family.The famous Victoria River Downs is among the properties, which cover 2.7m hectares.
Carbeen is located about 350 kilometres from Darwin Port and includes a feedlot with a 5,000-head capacity that has been used as a depot for NT cattle bound for export.Carbeen was once owned by Noel Buntine, a pioneer of the NT's pastoral and transport industries, who was passionate about horse racing and the remnants of the race track he built can still be seen at Carbeen today.