THE man behind Sydney’s famed Queen Victoria Building, the Strand Arcade and World Square is selling one of his most prized possessions: Think Big Stud in the Southern Highlands.
Dato Tan Chin Nam is a 90-year-old Malaysian property tycoon who owns shopping centres, hotels and thoroughbred studs around the world. He has listed Think Big Stud with Inglis Rural Property agents Sam Triggs and Jamie Inglis.
The billionaire is one of the most successful Melbourne Cup winning owners, being the principal owner for and personal friend of late legendary trainer Bart Cummings and New Zealand thoroughbred breeder Sir Patrick Hogan.
Dato Tan Chin Nam has won the Melbourne Cup four times and indeed the stud is named after his bay gelding Think Big which won the 1974 and 1975 Melbourne Cups. He selected the colt from Bart Cummings yard and was raced first with Queensland developer Rick O’Sullivan and later, Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman joined the winning fold.
The 121 hectare property is selling via expressions of interest as a whole or in three lots of 100 acre farms. Each farm has its own accommodation and facilities. If sold as a whole a ‘walk-in-walk-out’ option is available which would include all plant machinery and professional management.
The property, on the edge of Burradoo village and Moss Vale, is mainly flat with frontage to the Wingecarribee River. It is subdivided into 27 paddocks along with 80 day yards which are linked by a central laneway system.
Acquired by Dato Tan Chin Nam in 2007, the property once known as Inverness Stud has undergone significant agricultural and capital upgrades. Today’s facilities are extensive, including racing, yarling, broodmare and stallion barns. There’s a dressage arena and a purpose-built surgery barn. A foaling complex boasts state of the art foal and mare crushes with holding pens.
There is scope for the new owners to develop a multipurpose building. The stud has had a development application approved to construct a nine-room complex with kitchen facilities, media rooms and a central presentation room.
There are four houses strategically spread throughout the farm. The main residence is a five-bedroom home complete with tennis court. There is a second homestead which also has five bedrooms, plus a three-bedroom managers house and a staff cottage.
The property is being sold due to the owners age. It could fetch between $18 million to $20 million.
