S. Kidman & Co was founded in 1899 by
Sidney Kidman. He was one of the greatest pastoral landholders in Australian history and became known by the nickname of "The Cattle King". The entire landholding was placed up for sale in April 2015, comprising 11
cattle stations with a total area of over with a herd of 155,000 cattle. The total value of the company was estimated at 360.5 million, and cattle stations in
Western Australia,
South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. When two Chinese companies, Genius Link Asset Management and Shanghai Pengxin, were interested in acquiring the company in November 2015, the sale was blocked by the
Treasurer of Australia,
Scott Morrison, who cited the
national interest clause in the
Foreign Investment Act. In December 2016, a
Hancock Prospecting (67%) / Shanghai CRED (33%) joint venture purchased the company. In April 2023, S. Kidman & Co sold four of its cattle stations, which cover .
Durrie,
Naryilco, and
Glengyle stations, located in the
Channel Country of Queensland, were bought by the
Appleton Cattle Company, a family-owned beef cattle enterprise which has
organic certification. The Harris family, who owns the adjacent
Rockhampton Downs Station, purchased
Brunchilly in the Northern Territory (including the Banka Banka East pastoral lease). The company did not disclose the purchase price, but a spokesperson said "The sale of these properties is consistent with S. Kidman and Co's strategy of divesting properties where significant investment has improved them". Only four stations were left in the company's hands after the sale. ==Locations==