WELL-known South Australian pastoralists the McTaggart family are selling one of WA’s premier cattle stations, Bidgemia in the Gascoyne region, after 70 years of ownership.
Bidgemia, which lies about 185 kilometres east of Carnarvon, offers 579,206 hectares of beef breeding country and extensive double frontage to the Lyons and Gascoyne rivers.
Market expectations are in excess of $16 million for the land, livestock and plant.
The McTaggarts’ association with Bidgemia dates back to 1947 when Lachlan McTaggart, the ninth of 10 children, took up the pastoral lease with his brother Donald on behalf of the family company, the Nonning Pastoral Company, established in 1900.
Since then, Bidgemia has been expanded many times.
The family introduced Brahman cattle to the property in the 1990s, followed soon after by the establishment of a beef breeding enterprise.
In 2012, the McTaggarts integrated the renowned hardy Droughtmaster bulls into the herd.
The property runs 6000 breeders, with its main cattle yards hosting 2000 head.
A further 15 sets of established yards are spread throughout the property.
The family’s original pastoral enterprise was based at Nonning station in the Gawler Ranges and Kilmory in south-east of South Australia.
Bidgemia is being sold by Elders rural real estate sales specialist Malcolm French through an expressions of interest campaign.
“Bidgemia is truly an iconic property not only of the Gascoyne region but within the vast pastoral regions of WA,” he said.
“Today, with exceptional facilities, Bidgemia is presented as a stand-out beef enterprise investment.
“The cattle produced here are keenly sought after by all sectors of the beef industry, the herd reputation for temperament, doing ability, and beef quality is well known.”
Lachlan McTaggart, who will turn 65 this year, said the decision to put the property on the market was mainly due to family planning and timing.
“It is a good time to sell but it is not the first reason, the first reason is we have essentially had a family plan and this has become an opportunity to take advantage of that,” Mr McTaggart said.
“Essentially the sale of any property in any normal farming circumstances releases some capital for the rest of the family to do other things.
“We see this as a way for the rest of the family to move ahead and this is one way of achieving that.
“We probably won’t move ahead as a whole family unit as there can be some different interests and part of the plan is recognising those interests.”
Mr McTaggart, a fourth generation pastoralist, said they plan to stay if the price was not to their liking.
“We are in a happy position where we can pick and choose and it hasn’t always been that way, such is agricultural life,’’ he said.
“The family planning has evolved around my age, I am nearly 65.
“The importance of having some succession planning has never been more important than it is today.”
Mr McTaggart and wife Jane have a small farm just north of Gingin and will continue to farm there.