Plan Puts Queensland Cotton and Cattle Family's Future on the Rails

Galilee Basin cattle and cotton farmer Marcell Hall says his farm will be dissected by the three rail lines propsed by the new mines. Picture: Brian Cassey Source: The Australian

ON Marcel Hall's Galilee Basin cotton and cattle property, Queensland's summer of horror rain has led to its most fertile year in decades, with cows fatter than he's ever seen and a bumper $5 million cotton crop.   

But the 57-year-old, whose family has farmed on some of Australia's best cattle-fattening country north of Clermont in central Queensland since halfway through last century, fears it could be one of the property's last.

Mr Hall's 32,000ha Laurel Hills and Willesley stations are sandwiched in the middle of Australia's next coal-boom region, where India's Adani Group is vying with mining barons Clive Palmer and Gina Rinehart to develop a massive new network of mines, coal freight rail lines and ports.  Read More

The Australian