Who We Are

ABOUT HEYTESBURY PASTORAL

Heytesbury Pastoral is one of North Australia’s leading family-owned pastoral companies, running six stations spanning 2.7 million hectares across the Northern Territory and the eastern Kimberley region of Western Australia for over thirty years.

Among these is the famed Victoria River Downs, which was established in 1883 and was at one time the largest cattle station in the world. Known historically as “The Big Run”, it is now run as four standalone stations: Victoria River Downs, Moolooloo, Pigeon Hole and Mount Sanford.

Other stations include Birrindudu / Wallamunga (colourful cattle identity Peter Sherwin’s original station) in the Northern Territory, and Flora Valley / Nicholson / Gordon Downs aggregation (once Lord Vestey’s pastoral headquarters) in the Kimberley.

Heytesbury Pastoral runs a quality herd of approximately 165,000 Brahman cattle, capable of sustainably selling up to 40,000 head per annum, each bearing the famous “Bull’s Head” brand. Brahman cattle are a Bos Indicus breed that are resistant to parasites and have adapted to tropical conditions, making them ideally suited to northern Australian and to the live export markets of Asia.

OUR LONG-TERM INDUSTRY COMMITMENT

Longevity is at the core of everything we do at Heytesbury Pastoral, nurturing country, herd and people at the forefront of our operations. 

We’re custodians of some of Australia’s most famous pastoral lands. They’ve been around in our industry forever, and our intent is to keep it that way well into the future by keeping country healthy.

We’re family-owned and see our team as part of our broader family, where safety is paramount, and our systems and scale can provide genuine career opportunities in the agriculture industry and beyond. 

Cattle genetics and temperament are a major focus in all our operations, which is why we prioritise horseback mustering.  

SUPPORTING THE VITALITY OF
NORTH AUSTRALIA’S CATTLE INDUSTRY

A vibrant and thriving community in Australia’s north is so important, and the team at Heytesbury Pastoral are always pleased to do what we can to contribute. We are thrilled to support various events and initiatives, including the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) Conference, Pastoralist & Graziers Association (PGA) Convention, Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen’s Association (KPCA) Conference, Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA), the Ringer’s Rugby 7’s, and more. 

In addition, you will also find our team competing at various campdrafts throughout the season, showing our support by supplying a premium line of cattle for competitors. We’re delighted to offer our support to the, Hall’s Creek, Timber Creek, Territory Cup, Pussycat and Douglas Daly campdrafts, along with the Katherine Youth Camp.

We are active participants in the Northern Territory-Indonesian Exchange Program, NTI360, which is managed by the NTCA. Students have the opportunity to participate in a unique pastoral exchange program that entails a six-week station placement. We also regularly welcome Agriculture students to the stations for work placement.

THE HEYTESBURY GROUP

Heytesbury Pastoral is owned and managed by the Holmes à Court family and is part of the Heytesbury Group of Companies, headquartered in Perth. The family believe in northern Australia’s tremendous potential to supply safe and nutritious beef to the growing markets in Asia and are committed to the northern cattle industry for the long term. As such, they are committed to sustainable management practices and to the welfare of their cattle, just as much as they are to running an efficient business in the short term.

Notwithstanding the quality of the Company’s land and cattle assets, the most valuable of all are the people that “ride for the brand” and act as both managers and custodians for future generations.

A combination of scale, a commitment to sustainable management practices, family ownership and a great team of people underpin Heytesbury Pastoral’s long term vision.