In the long-practiced rhythm of Australian pastoral life, a decade of deliberate stewardship is preparing to meet the open market. Turn Turn and Wittenburra — 56,587 hectares of varied south west Queensland country shaped by creek systems, woodland, and open scrub — will go to auction on September 25, as the Todd family offers up not merely land, but the accumulated infrastructure of ten years of transformation. The sale invites a broader question that recurs across agricultural generations: when human effort is folded into the earth itself, how does the market learn to see it?
Major Queensland pastoral property Turn Turn and Wittenburra heads to auction
The infrastructure investment tells the real story of what the Todds have built.
Mark
Why would someone spend a decade investing heavily in a property only to sell it now?
Mimi
That's the question, isn't it. The Todds have clearly put serious capital into this place—fencing alone is a massive undertaking. Sometimes owners reach a point where they want to move on, or they see a market window and decide to take it.
Mark
What does 22,000 dry sheep equivalents actually mean?
Mimi
It's a standardized measure of carrying capacity. A dry sheep equivalent is a unit of grazing demand. So the property could theoretically support 22,000 sheep, or the equivalent in cattle, or a mix. They're currently running about 18,500 sheep and 600 cattle, so they're not at full capacity.
Mark
The fencing seems to be the real investment here.
Mimi
Absolutely. Exclusion fencing—the kind that keeps stock in and predators out—is expensive and labor-intensive. They've built 130 kilometres of it and are adding 30 more. That's not something you do casually. It allows you to manage different mobs separately, rotate grazing, control breeding more precisely.
Mark
Does the terrain matter much for the value?
Mimi
It matters enormously. The mix of flooded country, gidgee woodland, and mulga scrub means different feed types at different times of year. The creeks running through it are crucial—water is everything in pastoral Queensland. And the fact that it's relatively flat to gently undulating means it's workable, not rugged country.
Mark
What happens on September 25?
Mimi
The market finds out what this property is actually worth. The Todds have done the work. Now someone else will decide whether they want to continue it.
El Pulso
- A sprawling pastoral holding carrying nearly 19,000 sheep and 600 cattle is entering the auction ring, testing whether large-scale Queensland grazing country can command its full worth in the current market.
- The gap between current stocking levels and the property's 22,000 dry sheep equivalent capacity signals untapped potential — and a quiet pressure on prospective buyers to imagine what full production might look like.
- Over 130 kilometres of exclusion fencing already built, with 30 more under construction, represents the kind of capital commitment that reshapes a property's competitive standing entirely.
- Three new laneways stretching 24 kilometres, complete with coolers and water points, reflect an operation engineered for efficiency at scale — not just size for its own sake.
- The September 25 auction will serve as a live reading of investor confidence in south west Queensland pastoral land amid an ongoing cycle of agricultural capital movement.
In the long-practiced rhythm of Australian pastoral life, a decade of deliberate stewardship is preparing to meet the open market. Turn Turn and Wittenburra — 56,587 hectares of varied south west Queensland country shaped by creek systems, woodland, and open scrub — will go to auction on September 25, as the Todd family offers up not merely land, but the accumulated infrastructure of ten years of transformation. The sale invites a broader question that recurs across agricultural generations: when human effort is folded into the earth itself, how does the market learn to see it?
Turn Turn and Wittenburra, two adjoining properties totalling 56,587 hectares in south west Queensland, will go under the hammer on September 25 through Nutrien Harcourts. Located 45 kilometres south of Eulo and 110 kilometres south west of Cunnamulla, the combined holding occupies country long regarded as reliable breeding and fattening ground for both sheep and cattle.
Murray and Anne Todd, together with their son Sam, have owned the property since 2016 and spent the intervening decade reshaping what it can do. The terrain is genuinely varied — roughly divided between open flooded country, sweet pebbly gidgee woodland, and open mulga scrub — with the Paroo watershed feeding Turn Turn, Wittenburra, Wiseman, and Flannelbelly creeks through the run. The flooded sections support a diverse feed base including Queensland blue bush, Mitchell grass, buffel grass, and seasonal herbages.
The current operation carries around 18,500 sheep and 600 cattle against an estimated capacity of 22,000 dry sheep equivalents — a gap that points to room for expansion under capable management.
What the Todds have built in infrastructure is the real measure of the decade's work. Some 130 kilometres of exclusion fencing, constructed with double and triple box steel stays, now encloses 30,513 hectares across five sections. Once a further 30 kilometres of fencing under construction is complete, that managed area will grow to 45,122 hectares. Three new laneways totalling 24 kilometres have been added, each fitted with coolers and water points. The remaining fences across the property are described as Merino-proof and in fair to good condition.
The September 25 auction will test whether buyers in the current agricultural cycle recognise the difference between land that is workable and land that has been made genuinely efficient — and whether that distinction carries a price.
Turn Turn and Wittenburra, two adjoining pastoral properties spanning 56,587 hectares across south west Queensland, are heading to auction on September 25 through Nutrien Harcourts. The combined holding sits 45 kilometres south of Eulo and 110 kilometres south west of Cunnamulla, in country long recognized as prime breeding and fattening ground for both sheep and cattle.
Murray and Anne Todd, along with their son Sam, have owned the property since 2016 and have spent the past decade substantially reshaping its productive capacity. The landscape itself is varied—roughly a third open flooded country, a third sweet pebbly gidgee woodland, and a third open mulga scrub. The flooded sections, fringed with gidgee and yapunya, support Queensland blue bush, sugar grass, green panic, Mitchell grass, buffel grass, and Flinders grass, with seasonal herbages adding to the feed base. The property draws water from the Paroo watershed, with Turn Turn, Wittenburra, Wiseman, and Flannelbelly creeks running through it.
The current operation runs approximately 18,500 sheep and 600 cattle, including 350 breeding cows, against an estimated carrying capacity of 22,000 dry sheep equivalents. That gap between current stocking and potential capacity suggests room for expansion under the right management.
The infrastructure investment tells the real story of what the Todds have built. The property now carries 130 kilometres of exclusion fencing constructed with double and triple box steel stays, with another 30 kilometres under construction. The fenced area currently encompasses 30,513 hectares divided into five sections, but once the new fencing is complete, that will expand to 45,122 hectares across more sections. Beyond the exclusion fencing, there are 15 kilometres of new 8/90/30 netting fence fitted with top barbed wire and steel posts, with a further 15 kilometres planned. Three new laneways totaling 24 kilometres have been built, each equipped with coolers and water points for stock management. The remaining fences across the property are described as being in fair to good condition and Merino-proof.
This level of infrastructure—the fencing, the laneways, the water systems—represents the kind of capital-intensive work that transforms a property from workable to genuinely competitive. It's the difference between managing stock and managing them efficiently across large distances. The September 25 auction will test whether the market values that investment, and whether buyers in the current agricultural cycle see south west Queensland pastoral country as worth the asking price.
Citas Notables
The property is well-recognised as excellent sheep and cattle breeding and fattening country— Property description, Nutrien Harcourts
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