Foreign investment in Australian land continues to gather momentum, with recent acquisitions highlighting the growing scale and diversity of international capital flowing into both agricultural and residential development assets.

One recent transaction is the acquisition of Madura Plains Station in remote Western Australia by Guy Hands, through Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC). The purchase, valued at more than $30 million, adds 712,638 hectares to CPC’s Australian portfolio and includes substantial sheep and goat operations.

Following the deal, CPC’s total Australian landholdings now extend to approximately 6.21 million hectares, or just over 62,000 square kilometres. The company is among the largest private holders of agricultural land operating in Australia, with assets spread across Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Pastoral acquisitions continue at scale

The Madura Plains transaction builds on a series of large-scale pastoral acquisitions by CPC over the past two years. In 2025, the company acquired Rawlinna Station in Western Australia for more than $20 million, widely regarded as the largest sheep station in the country.

This was followed by the $315 million-plus acquisition of the Beetaloo Station cattle aggregation in the Northern Territory, encompassing more than one million hectares. With Madura Plains now added, CPC controls 12 major pastoral aggregations nationwide.

Across its Australian operations, CPC manages a diversified agricultural portfolio estimated to be worth around $1.6 billion.

Broader trend of international capital in agriculture

CPC’s expansion reflects a wider trend of foreign capital increasing its exposure to Australian farmland, attracted by scale, relative stability and long-term food and fibre demand.

In 2025, Canadian pension fund manager PSP Investments completed a $500 million transaction to acquire full ownership of the Kooba agricultural aggregation near Griffith in New South Wales. The 30,000-hectare Riverina asset includes cotton, broadacre cropping, livestock operations and approximately 1,400 hectares of almond orchards.

Following that transaction, PSP Investments now controls an estimated $8 billion portfolio of Australian farmland and water assets. The deal was approved through Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) process, consistent with existing foreign investment regulations governing agricultural land.

These transactions underscore the continued appetite from offshore institutional investors, particularly pension funds and long-term capital managers, seeking exposure to agricultural production, water security and export-driven supply chains.

Expansion beyond agriculture into residential land

Foreign investment activity is not limited to agriculture. International capital is also playing an increasingly visible role in Australia’s residential land market, particularly in large-scale master-planned communities.

In Queensland, Singapore-based developer Ho Bee Land recently acquired a 181-hectare development site in Elimbah, within the Moreton Bay region north of Brisbane, for approximately $318.5 million. The site is located within South East Queensland’s designated growth corridor and has direct access to the Bruce Highway.

Once developed, the Elimbah site is expected to accommodate around 1,400 residential lots along with a mix of business and industrial parcels. The acquisition adds to Ho Bee Land’s growing Australian land bank and reflects continued offshore interest in Australia’s long-term housing supply pipeline.

Policy oversight and market implications

Foreign ownership of Australian land remains subject to oversight by FIRB, with thresholds, reporting requirements and approval processes in place for both agricultural and residential assets. Despite this, the scale of recent acquisitions has renewed attention on how concentrated land ownership may evolve across key sectors.

Supporters of foreign investment point to the role of global capital in funding large-scale development, improving productivity and supporting export capacity. Others note the importance of balancing investment inflows with considerations around land access, regional resilience and long-term strategic control of critical assets.

What is clear is that international investors are committing significant capital across multiple land classes in Australia, from remote pastoral holdings to urban growth corridors. Together, these deals illustrate the continuing position of Australian land as a globally sought-after asset, underpinned by scale, regulatory certainty and long-term demand fundamentals.

More land news: Ho Bee Land Deepens Australian Commitment With $318.5m Elimbah Acquisition

Author: TGB Editorial