MacLachlans: Australia’s oldest farming families split massive portfolio after 135 years
Jumbuck Pastoral estate. Having established themselves as the third-largest landowner in the nation, this marks a monumental transition in the family's 135-year history.
Recently disclosed through a staff newsletter, it's been revealed that the MacLachlan brothers, Jock and Callum, are departing the company as part of Jumbuck's strategic shift and succession blueprint. Their exit signifies the end of their tenure with one of the nation's top beef and sheep producers, marking a period where they dedicatedly «gave it their all.»
What’s next for their estate?
Following their departure, the massive 5.2 million hectare estate of Jumbuck, comprising 12 stations with a valuation in the hundreds of millions, will undergo a distribution. This land expanse, larger than the entire country of the Netherlands, will be divided among Jock, Callum, and their patriarch, Hugh MacLachlan.
Jock will oversee McCoys Well station in South Australia and Derby Station in Western Australia, with a combined area of over 564,000 hectares. Callum, on the other hand, inherits the iconic 1.2 million hectare Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory, which Jumbuck jointly acquired with the affluent Wilson family in 2021 for $104 million, alongside the Killarney Station.
Hugh MacLachlan, Jumbuck Pastoral's chairman, along with his daughters Airlie MacLachlan, Islay McKenzie, and Brooke Yates, will retain the family's residual assets, which include stations spread across WA, SA, and NSW. Notably, earlier this year, industry giant Fortescue Metals Group procured Jumbuck’s massive sheep property, Rawlinna Station, in WA.
Hugh expressed his sorrow regarding his sons' exit, praising their exceptional contributions to Jumbuck, particularly their
