Quarry owner buys $27M Kerry Valley station

For cattle, not rocks

by JOE HINCHLIFFE

A historic station in the Kerry Valley which is a Wagyu cattle stud and has potential for mining and tourism operations has gone under the hammer for a cool $27 million.

Shamrock Vale Station was established in 1875 and covers 5,200 acres of alluvial plains on the banks of the Albert River.

Its new owner, Dick Karreman, conceded he “paid too much” for the farm but was “looking forward to making it earn its money”.

Though the farm boasts a diverse range of agricultural products, Mr Karreman said he would focus on its Wagyu cattle.

Shamrock Vale Station’s website claims to have the Scenic Rim region’s premier Fullblood Goshu Wagyu stud as well as “a wide variety of cropping, cattle, honey production and other small business enterprises”.

It also has 1,000 acres of cropping producing lucerne, barley, wheat, corn, soya beans and silage.

The station’s sales pitch by Beaudesert real estate agency C1 Realty said it had “potential for expansion into the mining and tourism industries” and was “a remarkable opportunity for an entrepreneurial buyer”.

The farm also has a chapel which can be used for functions.