Former rich lister Jim Gorman sells Queensland cattle station

Records also show the property at 715 Maria Creek was acquired by George Cattle Pty Ltd, whose sole shareholder is Matthew George of Brisbane.

One of Queensland’s richest men, Mr Gorman was one of a group of mining entrepreneurs, including the late coal miner Ken Talbot and current BRW rich lister Sam Chong, who opened the Jellinbah Mine in the Bowen Basin.

Mr Gorman sold his 23.3 per cent stake in 2007 for $270 million. He appeared on the BRW rich list in 2009 worth $210 million.

He later invested heavily in commercial property, acquiring shopping centres at Noosa Heads, Pelican Waters and Ashmore as well as rural property, acquiring 65,000 hectares of cattle grazing land in central Queensland.

Mr Gorman has sold into a very strong cattle property market on the back of strong beef prices and following the sale of the S. Kidman & Co cattle station empire to mining magnate Gina Rinehart and Chinese partner Shanghai CRED.

Just over a year ago retail king Brett Blundy bought the Walhallow cattle station aggregation in the Northern Territory for $100 million in what is arguably the largest single cattle-station deal in Australian history.

Eskdale West, which runs across multiple titles, is a well renowned grazing property in the Brisbane Valley. It includes a grand 1930s homestead, two large sets of timber cattle yards and significant irrigation infrastructure with water coming from Ivory Creek, Maria Creek, Middle Creek and Marongy Creek.

It sold through David Mooney and Wayne Jaenke, of Ray White Rural Esk Toogoolawah, who declined to comment.

Media reports in 2013 noted Mr Gorman was worth more than $280 million but that he had maintained a low profile since being a witness in a court case which saw his former business partner Harold Shand jailed in 2011 for making a corrupt payment to former Labor minister Gordon Nuttall.

In 2014, the Courier Mail said Mr Gorman was Queensland’s 48th richest man with a $239 million fortune.