Famed Queensland station home to the ‘Dig Tree’ up for grabs
Nappa Merrie Station, one of Queensland’s oldest and largest cattle grazing stations and home to the famed Dig Tree, has hit the market with expectations of $80 million or more after a decade of ownership by the Coulton family.
On Cooper Creek, where Queensland borders South Australia, the station runs over more than 727,000 hectares across three freehold titles. It has an estimated carry capacity of 14,000 adult equivalent cattle, a standard measure in the industry.
But the property is just as well-known for its place in the history of European exploration of Australia, following the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition in the 1860s. The two men were the first Europeans to cross Australia from south to north, but tragically perished in the region on their return journey.
The blazed Dig Tree, which signalled to the provisions left for them and buried beneath, is heritage-listed. The Royal Historical Society of Queensland is the trustee for the Dig Tree Reserve, supported by Nappa Merrie Station.
The historic property was purchased by the Coulton family’s Morella Agriculture in 2016 after leasing it from resources giant Santos for a number of years to support their cattle operations.
David Coulton said the decision to sell the property was a reluctant one, but would allow the family to focus on upgrading assets at their Goondiwindi operations.
“Nappa Merrie is a very significant property with so much history and potential, and we would love to have spent more time at this amazing place,” he said.
“We have invested significantly in water security and infrastructure, including accommodation for staff and have a fantastic labour force on-site.
“The historical significance of the property has also been very special to us, and there are agro-tourism opportunities for a new buyer to explore if they are interested.
“For us, it’s been the perfect place to grow or fatten large numbers of cattle and easily get them to feedlot weights or to the works.”
LAWD’s Danny Thomas, who is brokering the property with colleagues Elizabeth Doyle and Simon Cudmore, said it could appeal to a more diverse range of buyers than usual, given its history.
“Nappa Merrie is not only an outstanding beef cattle breeding, growing and backgrounding operation, it also represents a unique part of Australian history as the area where explorers Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills took their last steps before dying.
“While we would expect typical buyers such as institutional investors or established families seeking expansion opportunities, we believe Nappa Merrie will also appeal to high-net-worth individuals looking for a property that is both unique in location and rich in history.”
Under the Coultons’ stewardship, the property has 21 bores and 22 dams established, and around 25 permanent and semi-permanent waterholes located along the frontages to the Cooper Creek and Wilson River channel systems.
The area’s grazing potential was recognised after the Burke and Wills expedition, which had discovered permanent water holes in the region.
John Conrick walked 1600 head of cattle from Koroit in Victoria to Cooper Creek in the early 1870s, taking up an initial occupation licence of 65 square miles, which he named Nappa Merrie, using the Indigenous language words for “water” and “sandhill”.
Conrick then took up permanent residence, later partnering in business with George Ware. The station grew with the addition of further leases and expanded into wool growing.
After Conrick passed away in 1925, his four sons developed Nappa Merrie until 1954, when it was sold to the Playford River Pastoral Company.
It has since been owned by Stanbroke Pastoral, Santos, and sub-leased to Kidman & Co. The Coulton family’s Morella Agriculture had sub-leased the station for a number of years before taking ownership in 2016.
