Alexandria Station (Northern Territory)
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Alexandria Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a
cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...
. It is the Northern Territory's largest pastoral property and Australia's third largest pastoral property, after
Anna Creek station Anna Creek Station is the world's largest working cattle station. It is located in the Australian state of South Australia. Description Anna Creek Station has an area of . It is larger than its nearest rival, Alexandria Station (Northern Ter ...
and
Clifton Hills Station Clifton Hills Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the far north of South Australia. Description It is situated approximately south of Birdsville and north west of Innamincka. The property encompasses part of t ...
.


Location

It is located about north west of
Camooweal Camooweal is an outback town and locality in the City of Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the Queensland border with the Northern Territory. In the , the locality of Camooweal had a population of 236 people. Geography The ...
and east of
Tennant Creek Tennant Creek () is a town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the Northern Territory#Cities and towns, seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with ...
in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
. Alexandria shares a boundary to the west with
Alroy Downs Alroy Downs Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in Northern Territory. Location The property is situated approximately east of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory and west of Camooweal in Queensland. Located o ...
and
Brunette Downs Station Brunette Downs Station, mostly referred to as Brunette Downs, is a pastoral lease operating as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. Location Brunette Downs Station is located in the Northern Territory about north-ea ...
, to the north with Mittiebah and Mount Drummond Station, to the south with West Ranken, East Ranken, Adder and
Rocklands Station Rocklands Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station along the border of the Northern Territory and Queensland in the Barkly Tableland region. The station was established in 1864 by brothers James and George Sutherland. It ...
s and to the east with the
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
border. Several
ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...
waterway cross the property including the Buchanan river, Ranken River, Buchanan Creek, Cigarette Hole Creek and other smaller tributaries. The South Barkly Stock Route crosses the property at the south west corner.


Description

Occupying an area of of open plains, floodplain and wooded sandhills, it is situated on the
Barkly Tableland The Barkly Tableland is a region in the Central East of the Northern Territory, extending into Western Queensland. The region was named after Sir Henry Barkly. The epithet "Tableland" is inaccurate, since the region is neither elevated relative ...
and was established prior to 1877. The station is currently one of 15 properties owned by the
North Australian Pastoral Company The North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO) is a large, privately owned, Australian cattle company which operates 14 cattle stations (as well as the Wainui farm and feedlot) covering over 60,000 km2, managing around 200,000 cattle, throu ...
(NAPCo), who has owned it since 1877, making Alexandria NAPCos oldest and largest property. The plains are covered with
Mitchell grass ''Astrebla'' is a small genus of xerophytic (adapted to survive in an environment with little liquid water) grasses found only in Australia. They are the dominant grass across much of the continent. They are commonly known as Mitchell grass aft ...
that supports a herd of about 55,000 cattle and allow the owners to harvest some 10,000 bales of
hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...
per annum for use on other properties in the group. Alexandria shares a boundary with Mittiebah Station, another NAPCo property. 50 employees live on the station, with the main homestead being situated close to the Playford River. Two outstations are found on the property; Soudan is along the
Rankin River The Rankin River is a river in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County in southwestern Ontario, Canada which flows from the east side of the Bruce Peninsula to join the Sauble River near Sauble Falls Provincial Park on the west side. The ...
and Gallipoli is on the eastern side of the lease. Initially Alexandria used to run
Shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always em ...
cattle but in 1982 the decision was made that
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
would be more suitable for the harsh environment, particularly the heat and
tick Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. Ticks a ...
s. Since then Belmont and Charbray cattle have been added to the herd.


History

''
Waanyi The Waanyi people, also spelt Wanyi, Wanji, or Waanji, are an Aboriginal Australian people from south of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Language Although the Waanyi language was thought to be extinct, the 2016 ...
'' (also known as ''Wanyi'', ''Wanyee'', ''Wanee'', ''Waangyee'', ''Wonyee'', ''Garawa'', and ''Wanji)'' is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Gulf Country. The language region includes the western parts of Lawn Hill Creek and Nicholson River, from about the boundary between the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
and Queensland, westwards towards Alexandria Station, Doomadgee, and Nicholson River. It includes the local government area of the
Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee is a special local government area in North West Queensland, Queensland, Australia. It is managed under a Deed of Grant in Trust under the ''Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004''. In the , th ...
. A murder was committed at the station in 1885 when a station hand named Ross was killed, apparently by an axe-wielding assailant, while he was returning to his camp after spending the day sinking a well. Ross's colleagues, who said they were not with him when he was killed but heard his cries, told the press that the assailant had been one of a group of Aboriginal people who were camped relatively close by, and who must have stolen the murder weapon earlier. Ross's colleagues also said they'd gone looking for the unknown murderer(s) the next day, but couldn't find them. Another man named John Corbett died at the station in the same year when the
dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
he was using to deepen a
well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
exploded prematurely causing him to fall to the bottom. He later died of
shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Healthcare * Acute stress reaction, also known as psychological or mental shock ** Shell shock, soldiers' reaction to battle trauma * Circulatory shock, a medical emergency ** Cardiogenic shock, resulting from ...
and his other injuries. Heavy flooding occurred in the area about the station during the monsoon of 1895. Alexandria received of rain in January 1895. In 1901 the area had the best rains since 1894 with falling over 4 days that April.
Drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
followed the next year with the station's bores also running dry despite being sunk to a depth of The
cattle king ''Cattle King'' is a 1963 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Tay Garnett. It stars Robert Taylor (American actor), Robert Taylor and Robert Loggia. It was also known by the alternative title of ''Guns of Wyoming'' in some countr ...
,
Sidney Kidman Sir Sidney Kidman (9 May 18572 September 1935), known as Sid Kidman and popularly named "the Cattle King", was an Australian pastoralist and entrepreneur who owned or co-owned large areas of land in Australia in his lifetime. Early life Sidne ...
, announced in 1907 that he would be purchasing all the male cattle produced on the station for the next three years. Kidman expected a total of between 9,000 and 10,000 head of cattle to be acquired. Stock had to be
quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...
d in an area of around Borrodo waterhole in 1918 following an outbreak of red-water amongst cattle that were travelling to
Brunette Downs Station Brunette Downs Station, mostly referred to as Brunette Downs, is a pastoral lease operating as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. Location Brunette Downs Station is located in the Northern Territory about north-ea ...
. By 1923 the size of the property was estimated at and was the second largest run in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
after Victoria River Downs, which occupied . Periodic flooding is a way of life in Alexandria, with both the Playford and Rankin rivers breaking their banks. In 1939 over of rain fell over the course of two days during the
wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...
. At the time Alexandria had no boat and a passenger who had arrived by plane had to be ferried across the Playford in a bathtub. Peter Sherwin was a jackaroo at Alexandria in 1946 when he was 16 years old; he remained here for six years before leaving to
Helen Springs Station Helen Springs Station more commonly known as Helen Springs is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station. It is located about south of Elliott and east of Kalkaringi in the Northern Territory of Australia. The property shares a boun ...
. Sherwin later purchased a string of properties including
Victoria River Downs Station Victoria River Downs Station, also known as Victoria Downs and in the past sometimes referred to as The Big Run, is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia, established in 1883. It is south of ...
in 1986. Alexandria and the rest of the Tablelands were struck by
drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
in 1952, which was eventually broken by heavy falls in May of that year. The station had an estimated size of at the time and was "recognised as being one of the best developed and most keenly husbanded property in the north". In 1955, Alexandria and other stations in the surrounding area were victims of the largest cattle duffing ring since the war years. The duffers were caught after several months of tracking down the stolen beasts in hidden gullies around the area. A special court was set up at Alexandria to hear the charges. Much of the station was left underwater following heavy rains in 2009 and 2012 where flooding turned the area into an inland sea.


See also

*
List of ranches and stations This is a list of ranches and sheep and cattle stations, organized by continent. Most of these are notable either for the large geographic area which they cover, or for their historical or cultural importance. Africa * Obudu Cattle Ranch * S ...
*
List of the largest stations in Australia This is a list of the largest stations in Australia, which includes station (Australian agriculture), stations with an area in excess of . All of the largest pastoral leases are located in the states of Queensland (Qld), South Australia (SA) and ...
*
List of pastoral leases in the Northern Territory Pastoral lease, Pastoral leases in the Northern Territory, more commonly known as stations or cattle stations, are some of the List of the largest stations in Australia, largest in Australia. There are 223 pastoral leases gazetted into 11 pastora ...


References

{{Reflist, 2 Stations in the Northern Territory 1877 establishments in Australia