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Business

Oldfield/Costello families buy Mount Doreen Station to increase their cattle empire

Australia's largest private landholders, the Oldfield/Costello families have added to their vast outback property portfolio with the purchase of the NT's Mount Doreen Station.

Viv Oldfield, alongside Don and Colleen Costello, now own more than 9.2 million hectares across the Northern Territory, Western Australia's Kimberley region and South Australia's far north.

The families took the mantle of Australia's largest private landholder from Gina Rinehart earlier this year after purchasing Innamincka and Macumba stations from Ms Rinehart.

Mount Doreen is one of Australia's largest organic cattle stations, covering more than 730,000 hectares, 400 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs.

Documents from the NT Land Titles Office show the property sold for $34.7 million, but it is unclear if that price includes the 18,000 head of cattle that came with the transaction.

The property has been held by the Braitling family since it was established in 1932.

Mount Doreen has an average rainfall of about 300mm, with the Braitling family making significant investments into the station's water infrastructure over the past few years. 

Operating as Crown Point Pastoral, the Oldfield/Costello families have made some big investments in the past 12 months.

Alongside purchasing the SA properties from Ms Rinehart, they also bought WA's Ruby Plains and Sturt Creek in late 2021.

In 2016, Mr Oldfield was part of a group of Australian pastoralists who launched an unsuccessful bid to purchase the S Kidman and Co. property portfolio, ultimately losing out to Ms Rinehart.  

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