There isn't one single "biggest farmer," as it depends on the metric (land size, cattle, crops), but Viv Oldfield and Donny Costello are often cited as Australia's largest private landholders through their Crown Point Pastoral Company, holding over 9 million hectares, while mining magnate Gina Rinehart (Hancock Agriculture) is another massive landholder, though she's sold some large stations recently, and major corporate investors like Macquarie Agriculture and Canadian pension funds are huge in cropping and livestock.
However, it is Northern Territory mates and pastoralists, Viv Oldfield and Donny Costello, who hold the title as Australia's largest private landholders.
The Williams Cattle Company can claim the title of the owner of Australia's largest farm with the 2.3677 million-hectare Anna Creek Station near Coober Pedy, SA. Ownership of Australia's largest farms has remained relatively stable throughout the past year with only a handful of the biggest properties changing hands.
Topping the list is Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart, whose agricultural assets – through S Kidman and Co and Hancock Agriculture – are now valued around $2 billion. According to The Australian's recent rich list, Rinehart has a wealth of about $46.34 billion.
Gina Rinehart is often cited as Australia's largest private landowner, controlling millions of hectares through her Hancock Prospecting and other interests, primarily for mining and cattle, but ownership is complex with vast areas held under lease and significant land also owned by large corporations like the Australian Agricultural Company and First Nations groups, notes The Guardian and A-Z Animals.
Qin is the richest farmer in the world and owns 883 million shares of Muyuan stock, 40.06% of the company. Qin's wife Qian Ying is also a billionaire, and together they own a majority stake in Muyuan. His son Qin Muyuan (秦牧原) is a vice-president at Muyuan Group.
The richest person in Australia is Gina Rinehart, a mining magnate and executive chairperson of Hancock Prospecting, who has topped the annual Financial Review Rich List for several consecutive years, with her wealth estimated around A$38.11 billion as of the 2025 list, despite recent iron ore price fluctuations affecting her fortune.
Many jobs in Australia pay over $100,000 annually, including roles in IT, Healthcare (like Surgeons, Dentists, Psychologists), Engineering (Mining, Aerospace, Building), Construction Management, Finance (Accountants, Managers), Law, Sales (Business Development, Account Managers), and specialized trades (Pilots, Drillers, Electricians), often requiring degrees, certifications, or significant experience and skill, though some technical or trade roles can reach this income without a university degree through vocational training.
Australia's richest people in 2025, led by Gina Rinehart (Mining), include tech billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes & Scott Farquhar (Atlassian), property mogul Harry Triguboff, and manufacturing magnate Anthony Pratt, with Melanie Perkins & Cliff Obrecht (Canva), Andrew Forrest, Clive Palmer, Nicola Forrest, Kerry Stokes, and Frank Lowy also featuring prominently, reflecting dominance in resources, tech, and real estate.
China remains the biggest offshore investor in Australian farmland with a 2 per cent holding (7.8 million hectares), but investors from the Netherlands, the US and UK own more freehold land. Chinese investors own just 750,000 hectares of freehold farmland.
The Emmersons became America's largest landowners in 2021 when they acquired 175,000 acres in Oregon from Seneca Timber Company. With that acquisition, the Emmersons surpassed Liberty Media chairman John Malone's 2.2 million acres.
Chinese dairy farmer: 9 million hectares
The largest agricultural landowner is the Chinese dairy farm 'Mudanjiang City Mega Farm', which is owned by Russian and Chinese owners. More than 9 million hectares belong to the company.
“With over 70% of the world's food production reliant on family farmers, this type of farming represents the vast majority of agriculture worldwide, both in developed and developing countries.
The average annual salary for Farmer jobs in Australia ranges from $75,000 to $85,000.
Established after British colonisation of South Australia on the lands of the Arabana people, the lease was first purchased from the colonial government in 1863. As of 2025 it is owned by the Williams family.
Production: China is the world's largest producer of many agricultural products, including rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, soybeans, cotton, and tobacco.
READ ALSO: Dangote Retains Crown As Africa's Richest Man On Forbes List
1 China 2 India. It is not 1947 or 1950 But year 2025. China and India tops in Grain production Fruits and Vegetables. Whereas USA produces around 300 million tons of Corn it's usage as human staple diet is limited.
To be in Australia's top 1% of individual taxpayers, you generally need an annual income of around $375,000 to $390,000, though figures vary slightly by source and year, with higher thresholds for households (around $530,000). For context, the median individual income is much lower (around $55,000), and while top earners often include surgeons and anaesthetists, reaching the top 1% of net worth requires significantly more wealth, often exceeding $7 million.
Jobs paying $200k+ in Australia are common in specialized fields like Medicine (Surgeons, Anaesthetists, Specialists), Technology (Data Scientists, Cloud Engineers), Engineering, Executive Management (C-Suite, Directors), Law, and high-end Sales, with significant opportunities also in the Mining sector, alongside specialized roles in Finance, Construction Management, and Healthcare Administration, often requiring significant experience or niche skills.
No experience $100,000 jobs
While exact real-time figures vary, estimates from around 2025 suggest approximately 400,000 to over 500,000 Australians held over $1 million in superannuation, with about 2.5% of the population reaching this milestone as of mid-2021, a figure that has likely grown with strong investment returns, though many more hold significant balances and millions are projected to reach this goal by retirement, especially men.
From the Editor
The world's 10 richest families