Australia's Largest Sheep Station Sold to Adelaide Businessman

ABC Rural

Topic: Agriculture

Wednesday, 5 August 2026, at 5:25 pm

Commonwealth Hill Station was sold to Charlie Shahin and his family.

In short:

Three outback sheep stations with nearly 1.3 million hectares were sold by Jumbuck Pastoral.

The properties in South Australia's far north-west were bought by Charlie Shahin.

What's next?

The Shahin family intends to keep running the combined properties as sheep stations.

Australia's largest contiguous sheep station was bought by billionaire Adelaide businessman Charlie Shahin.

The three South Australian stations were purchased for an undisclosed sum after being on the market for two months.

Mr Shahin and his family have a combined wealth of $1.93 billion.

The family, who came to Australia as Palestinian refugees in the 1980s, founded OTR.

Charlie and Fred Shahin started the family company with the purchase of a single service station in 1984.

The stations were all sold by the family farming dynasty the MacLachlans under the company name Jumbuck Pastoral.

The nearly 140-year-old company is one of Australia's oldest and most powerful farming families.

Elders Real Estate chief executive Tom Russo would not comment on how much the three properties sold for.

Mr Russo said the 1.29 million hectares in South Australia's far north-west was a significant sheep production.

Corporate investors and local pastoral families participated in the process and considered the assets.

The 310,000ha Bulgunnia sheep station in SA's outback is a two-hour drive from Coober Pedy.

Mr Russo said the sale was part of the multi-generation farming family's proactive succession planning process.

The family has divested a few stations now, and the group is now divided up between the siblings.

Mr Russo added that the relatively quick sale of the 1.29m ha of traditional merino country was indicative of how Mr Shahin did business.

He knows what he's looking for and acts quickly and decisively.

Charlie actually has agriculture in his blood and intends to keep running it as a sheep station.

Since the sale of OTR in 2023, Mr Shahin and his family have been acquiring massive agricultural stations.

In 2024, the family purchased the 408,000-hectare cattle station Aileron in the Northern Territory.

The Shahin family sold OTR to Viva Energy.

In a statement, the chairman of ATAYF said owning and working with agricultural assets had been a lifelong ambition.

This acquisition is a long-term family investment, and they intend to build on the foundations established by Jumbuck.

They have great confidence in the future of the Australian sheep and wool industry.

The ABC has sought direct comment from the Shahin family.

End to a family dynasty

According to Jumbuck Pastoral's website, the Jumbuck North West Pastoral Aggregation consists of 23 staff.

While a fourth station Mulgathing adjoins the properties recently sold off, it was not part of the sale.

In a company-wide newsletter, Jumbuck Pastoral said the decision had not been made lightly.

These words were reiterated in a statement from Elders on MacLachlan Pastoral Group executive director Callum MacLachlan's behalf.

Jumbuck Pastoral has been selling off its agricultural assets.

We have come to know Charlie and his family through this process and believe they will be excellent custodians.

Their commitment to long-term investment, family values, and Australian agriculture gives us great confidence.

While this transaction represents the end of one chapter, we are pleased that the next chapter will be written by another South Australian family.

The ABC has sought direct comment from Jumbuck Pastoral and the MacLachlan family.

Jumbuck Pastoral was established in South Australia in 1888 by HP MacLachlan at Paratoo Station near Yunta.

Charlie Shahin with his late father Fred Shahin and brothers.

In more recent years, Jumbuck Pastoral announced it would start breaking up and selling off its massive agricultural assets.

Last year Jumbuck Pastoral sold the largest of its stations to a foreign buyer.

The million-hectare station Rawlinna in Western Australia's remote Nullarbor was sold by Jumbuck to UK-based Consolidated Pastoral Company.

The deal included a flock of about 30,000 sheep and was subject to several conditions.

More news from regional SA

Topic: Scams and Fraud

Topic: Avian Influenza

Topic: Feel Good

Topic: Women

See more ABC coverage in your search results

Promotion

Práctica de escucha