A WEST Australian property developer made repeated offers before buying land later chosen as the site for a valuable transport hub north of Melbourne, it has been claimed.

This is despite the developer, major ALP donor John Lawrence Simpson, telling The Weekly Times last week the land was "offered for sale".

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"That property didn't come up for sale, they went in and asked for it," a source privy to the sale has claimed.

A month after Mr Simpson bought the land, the Victorian Government began a push to build a $290-million logistics centre on the site.

The Weekly Times understands Mr Simpson initially offered $3 million for the 202-hectare parcel at Beveridge. When this was knocked back, successive bids rose over the next three months to $6 million, then $10 million, $12 million and finally $14.5 million.

It has also been revealed the agent who sought to buy the land on Mr Simpson's behalf was a specialist in freight logistics and warehousing - similar to that proposed for the land a month after the sale.

The agent, Stephen Parry, was employed by the world's largest real estate firm, CB Ellis, as its industrial services and logistics consultant, specialising in freight.

These latest revelations have brought into question whether Mr Simpson or anyone acting on his behalf knew of the logistics centre proposal before the land was bought in May, 2008.

Mr Simpson has strongly denied he had any knowledge of the freight terminal when he bought the land.

It has also thrown the spotlight on to Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas, whose department selected the site for the logistics centre, a move that potentially lifted Mr Simpson's land value to more than $200 million, based on industrial land values of $1 million a hectare.

Beveridge landowner Kate Looker said she and two other landholders were also approached to sell by Mr Parry.

"I live a couple of doors down from the (202ha) property, you've mentioned in the paper," Ms Looker said.

"That property didn't come up for sale, they went in and asked for it.

" came along and asked major landholders in the district whether they'd look to sell their land.

"They targetted other properties. I refused their offer."

Beveridge landholders said at the time of the offer they had no idea their land had been earmarked for a freight terminal.

A source close to the family that sold the 202ha said they understood a West Australian farmer wanted to buy the land for $3 million, the farm-land rate.

When the family rejected the offer, the source said Mr Parry returned with four more offers.

"It was pretty clear it wasn't just for farming," the source said.

The source said "the Government had done them in the eyes with a forked stick" by not releasing details on the freight terminal siting.

The Weekly Times contacted the family that sold the land to Mr Simpson. They said they had signed a confidentiality agreement and could not comment.

All the properties were within the Victorian Government's proposed intermodal and logistics precinct announced last June.

The Weekly Times asked Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas who selected the proposed intermodal precinct and when details were made public.

"It was a collaborative process between the Department of Transport and the Department of Planning and Community Development that determined this proposed freight precinct needed to be identified in VC55," a spokesman for Mr Pallas said.

"It was effectively announced with release of Delivering Melbourne's Newest Sustainable Communities and exhibition of VC55 in June 2009."

The Weekly Times asked who had access to this information prior to June 2009.

Mr Pallas' spokesman said: "Prior to it being made public the document was an internal government document".

CB Ellis state director Walter Occhiuto said if the land was earmarked for an intermodal hub, then "it's right up his (Stephen Parry's) alley".

Mr Parry, who left the firm last year, was involved in the Port of Brisbane development and other freight terminal and leasing projects around Melbourne.

"He was our specialist logistics adviser," Mr Occhiuto said "His role was high level, major long-term projects."

Mr Simpson told The Weekly Times he jointly farmed a nearby 800ha and the 202ha with property developer George Adams. Mr Adams operates the Adam Group of companies, which is a client of political lobbyist and former Upper House leader David White.

A month after Mr Simpson purchased the property VicRoads issued maps outlining the proposed corridor for the Outer Metropolitan Ring Road servicing the site.

By October the Victorian Government had lodged a submission with the Federal Government to fund a $290 million Donnybrook-Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal servicing the site and neighbouring land.

By May last year the freight terminal had been listed as a "Priority Project" under the Federal Government's Infrastructure Australia Fund.

In June 2009 the Victorian Government released its Planning Amendment VC55, which is soon due to be re-introduced as VC67, with minor changes.

Australian Electoral Commission records show Mr Simpson has donated $85,000 to the Australian Labor Party's West Australian branch, with $45,000 donated in 2007-08 and 2008-09.