Australia's largest contiguous sheep station sold to Adelaide businessman

Australia's largest contiguous sheep station has been acquired by Adelaide businessman Khalil (Charlie) Shahin, known for co-founding the On The Run (OTR) petrol station and convenience store network. The purchase includes three South Australian stations, Commonwealth Hill, Mobella, and Bulgunnia, covering a combined area of nearly 1.3 million hectares.

The properties were on the market for approximately two months before being sold for an undisclosed sum to Shahin, whose family ranks among Australia's wealthiest with a net worth of $1.93 billion. The Shahin family, who arrived in Australia as Palestinian refugees in the 1980s, previously sold their company, OTR, for $1.2 billion in 2023.

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

These stations were sold by the MacLachlan family, a farming dynasty with nearly 140 years of history and an extensive agricultural empire across Australia. The sale marks the end of Jumbuck Pastoral's large-scale operations, as the family divides its assets among siblings for individual ventures.

Tom Russo, CEO of Elders Real Estate, which managed the sale, described the land as offering significant sheep production capacity. He noted strong interest from both domestic and international corporate investors, as well as local farming families. Russo characterized Shahin as a decisive businessman with a deep understanding of agriculture, having studied agronomy. Shahin plans to maintain the properties as sheep stations, potentially incorporating dorper sheep into the production mix.

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Charlie actually has agriculture in his blood. He studied agronomy back in the day … Charlie intends to keep running it as a sheep station. I think we can probably see an enterprise change in terms of perhaps some dorpers into the production mix.