Nappa Merrie Station, one of Queensland’s oldest and largest cattle grazing stations and most significant sites of Australia’s mid-1800s European exploration history, is being offered to the market by the Coulton family after 10 years’ stewardship.
With a total land area of 727,700* hectares (1,78 million acres) across three freehold titles, Nappa Merrie is an unparalleled large-scale continuous holding renowned for breeding and backgrounding large numbers of cattle.
Situated at Cooper Creek on the border of Queensland and South Australia, Nappa Merrie has an estimated carry capacity of 14,000 adult equivalents (AEs).
It was on these lands that ill-fated explorers, Burke and Wills, died on their famous expedition in which they became the first Europeans to cross Australia from south to north, seeking new grazing lands, a route for an overland telegraph line and for scientific discovery.
The famous ‘Burke and Wills Dig Tree’, which marked instructions to the explorers’ buried provisions, is one of Australia’s national icons and is located on the banks of Cooper Creek at Nappa Merrie. The Royal Historical Society of Queensland is the trustee for the Dig Tree Reserve, supported by Nappa Merrie Station.
The historic station was purchased after leasing from Santos for a number of years by the Coulton family’s Morella Agriculture in 2016 to support their cattle operations. David Coulton said the decision to sell was a reluctant one but was made for the family to focus on upgrading assets at their Goondiwindi operations.
“Nappa Merrie is a very significant property with so much history and potential, and we would love to have spent more time at this amazing place,” Mr Coulton said.
“We have invested significantly in water security and infrastructure including accommodation for staff and have a fantastic labour force on-site.
“The historical significance of the property has also been very special to us, and there are agritourism opportunities for a new buyer to explore if they are interested.
“For us, it’s been the perfect place to grow or fatten large numbers of cattle and easily get them to feedlot weights or to the works.
“The property is renowned for producing and fattening bullocks and would suit other beef businesses in the region looking for expansion.”
The Coulton’s have made significant investment in infrastructure to support livestock production, including to water security. The property has 21 bores and 22 dams, and approximately 25 permanent and semi-permanent waterholes located along the frontages to the Cooper Creek and Wilson River channel systems.
Across the holding, land types are diverse – from open downs and ranges, through to flood out and alluvial systems. The expansive areas of natural floodplains and low-lying swamps provide a large body of grasses and herbages following flood events, and the sandy undulating lands include spear grass and several native species.
LAWD Senior Director, Danny Thomas, has sold some of Australia’s largest and well-known agricultural holdings during his career, however, he said selling a property of this scale, and of such historical significance, was a special privilege and a career highlight.
“Nappa Merrie is not only an outstanding beef cattle breeding, growing and backgrounding operation, it also represents a unique part of Australian history as the area where explorers Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills took their last steps before dying,” Mr Thomas said.
“While we would expect typical buyers such as institutional investors or established families seeking expansion opportunities, we believe Nappa Merrie will also appeal to high-net-worth individuals looking for a property that is both unique in location and rich in history.”
Accommodation on the station include the historic homestead, which has been renovated by the Coulton family and a range of dwellings and infrastructure to support the workforce including a head stockman’s dwelling, stockmen’s quarters, guest quarters, three workers’ quarters, a kitchen, recreation facilities and an ablution donga. A workshop, generator shed, machinery shed, vehicle shed, storage shed and eight main sets of livestock yards support Nappa Merrie’s operations.
Nappa Merrie is being offered for sale by Expressions of Interest, closing at 12pm (AEDT) Thursday 18 December 2025. For more information, contact LAWD Senior Director, Danny Thomas on +61 439 349 977, or LAWD Director, Elizabeth Doyle on +61 400 102 439, and Simon Cudmore on +61 433 160 413.
