THE first stage of the Erasmus family’s Gateway Wagyu enterprise dispersal has been completed, with three mid-North Coast grazing properties sold for a combined $19.7 million, and a large portion of the Wagyu Fullblood and Poll Wagyu herds dispersed to new owners.

The Wagyu herd dispersal, with some 1350 cattle involved, represented one of the largest Fullblood sale offerings over seen in Australia. Its dispersal was divided into four separate sale components:

• 243 Registered Elite Fullbloods
• 757 Registered Premium Fullblood Wagyu offered in 29 lots
• 174 Poll Wagyu cattle
• Remaining to be sold is an offering of 91 Gateway Registered Fullblood Wagyu bulls making up the final Gateway Prestige Bull Sale being staged on 30 April.

The event drew significant interest from across the Wagyu industry, with results that reflected the quality, depth, and proven performance of the herd. No buyers names were disclosed.

One of the standout outcomes was the acquisition of Gateway’s Poll Wagyu herd (172 head) by a single buyer, negotiated prior to auction. This milestone transaction included the entire Poll female herd, part of the property assets, and a selection of Elite Fullblood genetics –  securing the future of the Gateway Poll Wagyu and Fullblood Wagyu lines in their entirety.

Across the broader sale, results saw:

• The Gateway Elite Sale showcased the Gateway breeding program’s success, with strong demand across the board. A standout group of elite Wagyu Fullblood heifers in the top 1pc of the breed averaged $19,875, with a top price of $42,000 – underscoring the consistent emphasis on premium genetic performance and carcase excellence.
• PTIC cows sold up to $50,000 twice, averaging $20,111.
• Bulls reached $50,000 (shared ownership), averaging $32,000.
• Semen sales included a half-straw fetching $7000.
• Breeders averaged north of $5000, representing a solid result in challenging conditions.
• Certain genetic lines attracted particular interest. Females joined to Gateway F154 S0024 Gatekeeper are breeding some outstanding animals and with his diverse genetics from most of the breed’s prominent herds, it made a huge impact on the sale result.

Across the various sales completed yesterday, 95pc of the lots were cleared – a strong outcome in a market currently navigating headwinds, especially at the premium end. A small number of unjoined heifers remain available for private purchase.

New South Wales-based buyers provided the strongest bidding momentum, but buyers also came in numbers from Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. There was no clear overseas bidding interest shown.

The results spoke to years of careful selection, data-backed decisions, and a focused breeding strategy driven by premium market performance, George Lubbe from marketing agents Premium Bovine Solutions said.

Gateway Wagyu properties make $19.7m at ‘private auction’

As another part of the Erasmus family’s asset dispersal, the three NSW mid North Coast grazing properties that formed the basis of Gateway’s Wagyu breeding and backgrounding operations sold this week, for a combined $19.7 million.

There were some dramatic changes at the last minute in the property sale process, to accommodate a prospective buyer seeking to secure both cattle, and one or more of the properties. The properties were originally due for auction today (after the cattle auction), but were brought forward to allow bidders to secure land first, before bidding on the Gateway cattle offering.

The auction was then changed by marketing agents Ray White Rural from open cry to a private ‘invite-only’ affair, which meant buyers names could be kept confidential. Both properties were sold ‘under the hammer’ under this unusual process.

At this point, the property buyers’ names have not been disclosed, but here’s what we know:

• Neither Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Agriculture nor WA’s Stone Axe Pastoral were involved. In fact no corporates took part.
• The buyer of the Three Pines property (1171ha between Gloucester and Krambach) was a private Queensland-based established Wagyu producer
• The buyer of the 1015ha Kerriki and Number One aggregation in the Upper Manning Valley district was an established western NSW Wagyu producer, who a little later bought the Gateway Poll Wagyu herd, numbering 174 head, before auction. He also bought a large parcel of elite Fullbloods.

The Three Pines property sold under hammer at the auction for $13.7 million bare, representing about $11,700/ha.

The 1016ha Kerriki and Number One aggregation sold for $6 million, representing about $5900/ha.

Three Pines

Three Pines provides ideal conditions for breeding, with improved pastures of Rhodes, kikuyu, and clover. Wagyu calves are weaned at 6-7 months of age. The property is held in four titles and features Creek flats, open grazing to clean steep grazing.

Three Pines includes a double frontage to Bakers Creek, 12 dams and 19 troughs around yards. All fencing has been renewed over the last eight years, with a laneway system in place to simplify cattle movements.

Infrastructure includes an excellent set of cattle yards (Arrow and Red river with  scales) and six large sheds. Sub tropical pastures comprise kikuyu, Rhodes and clovers. Carry capacity is estimated by the vendor at 650–700 breeders.

The main homestead was built in 2017, comprising three bedrooms plus study. The manager’s residence is an original, renovated weatherboard dwelling with five bedrooms. There’s also a comfortable three bedroom workman’s cottage.

Kerriki & Number One

Kerriki & Number One, covering some 1015ha, has undergone significant development, including 18km of new fencing and extensive roadworks.

Boasting 6km of river frontage and high annual rainfall, the property has good potential for future breeders, comfortably supporting 500 breeders with room for expansion.

The property is held in 36 titles, including road enclosures. Country is a mix of river flats, open grazing to steep timber ridges.

There’s extensive frontage to Rowleys River, numerous dams and seasonal creeks + WAL from Rowleys River.

Extensive new fencing has been installed over the last 15 months, all stock proof. New road infrastructure has been installed throughout the property, upgraded alongside fencing. Two sets of stockyards are used across both holdings, one timber, one steel.

There’s a weatherboard homestead, and brick/stone cottage with shedding. Native pastures include kikuyu, clovers and paspalum.

Marketing agent for the properties was Ray White Manning Valley.