Minderoo Station

Minderoo
Location in Western Australia

Coordinates: 21°59′46″S 115°02′35″E / 21.996°S 115.043°E / -21.996; 115.043 (Minderoo) Minderoo Station, commonly referred to as Minderoo, is a pastoral lease that once operated as a sheep station but now operates as a cattle station in Western Australia.

Description

It is situated about 41 kilometres (25 mi) south of Onslow and 138 kilometres (86 mi) west of Pannawonica in the Pilbara region. The property occupies an area of 2,400 square kilometres (927 sq mi) and is traversed by the Ashburton River;[1] the property has an estimated 50 miles (80 km) double frontage to the river.[2] The property spreads out from the river forming a vast plain of sand and clay.[2] The word Minderoo is Aboriginal in origin and means "place of permanent and clean water".[3]

Forrest family

The property was established in 1878[4] when the Forrest brothers secured the leasehold for the property. David Forrest was the initial manager, and the property owned by his brothers, John and Alexander Forrest along with Septimus Burt.[5][6][7][8] Minderoo was owned by the Forrest family until it was sold in 1998 by Donald Forrest[9] due to relentless drought and debt. Donald's son, the mining magnate Andrew Forrest, whose early years were spent as a jackaroo at Mindaroo,[10][11] bought the property in 2009[12][13] for A$12 million.[14]

History

Once the Forrest and Burt syndicate had acquired the lease, David Forrest overlanded 2,000 sheep to Minderoo.[4] By 1884 the property was supporting a flock of 16,000 sheep, approximately 800 cattle and 80 horses.[15]

In 1888 a fire destroyed the kitchen and its contents along with one side of the homestead; David Forrest was injured during the blaze.[16] By 1891 the size of the flock was estimated to be 50,000 sheep, cattle and horses.[2] The partnership of Forrest, Burt and Company was dissolved in 1901.[17] The Forrests were now sole owners of Minderoo and had appointed Arthur Bailey as the station manager.[18] In 1906 Minderoo was carrying a flock of approximately 33,000 sheep.[19]

Employees at Minderoo felt an air shock and heard a rumble of the first British nuclear tests on Monte Bello Island in 1952. The station was about 90 miles (145 km) from the blast site.[20] In 1954 Jack Reynolds was hired to cull feral cattle from the property. Reynolds then slaughtered and butchered the cattle and hired an Anson aircraft to deliver over 600 pounds (272 kg) of beef to Carnarvon.[21]

After buying back Minderoo in 2009, Andrew Forrest hired Phil Clark to manage the property. Clark reduced the herd size from 11,000 to 3,500 head of cattle to give the land a chance to regenerate. A weir was also installed on the Ashburton to guarantee water supply and assist in regeneration of the river.[1]

The Forrests introduced Droughtmaster, Red Angus, Ultra Black Angus bulls onto Minderoo to build a composite herd for the fine dining market. By 2015 they also announced that they would be seeking organic certification for the property.[22]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Katherine Fleming (30 April 2012). "Forrest at home in red dust". The West Australian (Yahoo7). Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Ashburton Goldfields". The Advertiser (Adelaide: National Library of Australia). 28 January 1891. p. 7. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Minderoo – About". Minderoo Group. 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Program: David Forrest" (transcript). Dynasties. Australia: ABC Television. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  5. ↑ Erickson, Rica (1988). The Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre-1829 - 1888. II, D-J. University of Western Australia Press. p. 1094. ISBN 0-85564-273-4.
  6. ↑ Black, David; Bolton, Geoffrey (1990). Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. One, 1870-1930. p. 74. ISBN 0-7316-9782-0.
  7. ↑ Muir, Alison & Dinee (1982). Forrest Family, Pioneers of Western Australia, 1842–1982. J.R. Muir & Son. p. 101. ISBN 0-9592883-0-9.
  8. ↑ B. K. De Garis and Tom Stannage. "Burt, Septimus (1847–1919)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University.
  9. ↑ "Program: Forrest" (transcript). Dynasties. Australia: ABC Television. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  10. ↑ "x". West Australian. 22 November 2005.
  11. ↑ "Summary: Forrest" (transcript). Dynasties. Australia: ABC Television. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Lake, Fiona (30 July 2009). "Andrew Forrest buys back Minderoo, the cattle station he grew up on". Fiona Lake blog. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Forrest buys back the family farm". Farm Weekly (Western Australia). 24 July 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest attacks Onslow's mine bid". The Australian. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "A trip to the Ashburton". The West Australian (Perth: National Library of Australia). 12 August 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "News and Notes". The West Australian (Perth: National Library of Australia). 9 July 1888. p. 3. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "Advertising.". The West Australian (Perth: National Library of Australia). 18 February 1901. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  18. ↑ "A crop of copper". The Sunday Times (Perth: National Library of Australia). 13 October 1901. p. 12. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "Out Northern Ports". Western Mail (Perth: National Library of Australia). 8 December 1906. p. 11. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Atomic weapon is exploded". The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney: National Library of Australia). 4 October 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "N.W. Towns will get outlaw beef by air". The West Australian (Perth: National Library of Australia). 12 April 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  22. ↑ Lucie Bell (20 August 2015). "Minderoo Station snapshot: beefing up Pilbara cattle for the fine-dining market". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
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