StateLibQld 1 78415 Homestead at Alice Downs Station, 1908

Alice Downs 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 statio ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

. it is one of four stations known as the Springvale Aggregation, owned by

Harvest Road John Andrew Henry Forrest (born 18 November 1961), nicknamed Twiggy, is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the former CEO (and current non-executive chairman) of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), and has other interests in the mining ...

History

The property was established prior to 1901; the manager that year was F. G. Taylor. The area had been struck by

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

s at the same time, though Alice Downs had not been largely affected. The owners of the property, Yates, Taylor and Cranwell, placed the property on the market in 1908, at which time it was stocked with 1,800 head of

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. Frank Taylor retained possession of Alice Downs but with a new partner, H. F. Parnell, who was also known as C. H. Newman. The pair placed both Alice Downs and Panton Hills Station on the market in 1919. At this time Alice Downs occupied an area of and was stocked with 3,000 head of cattle and 146 horses. In 2003, E. G. Green and sons, the owners of Alice Downs, Springvale Station, Mabel Downs and Texas Downs with a total area of and that were carrying approximately 32,000 head of

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part ...

cattle, sold the aggregation to a South African buyer for 15 million. In March 2022,

Andrew Forrest John Andrew Henry Forrest (born 18 November 1961), nicknamed Twiggy, is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the former CEO (and current non-executive chairman) of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), and has other interests in the mining ...

's agribusiness, Harvest Road, bought the station, along with Springvale Station, Mabel Downs, and Texas Downs, together known as the Springvale Aggregation. Together they cover and are stocked with 35,000 head of cattle.

Traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

of the land were keen to work with the new owners, hoping for some of the land to be developed as tourist destinations, which would create jobs for

Indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

in a region which has few opportunities. In addition, with Forrest's known interest in improving the lives of Indigenous peoples, it is hoped that his wealth could be used to improve educational outcomes for children in the

Halls Creek Halls is a plural of the word hall. Halls may also refer to: People * Walter Halls (1871–1953), British trade unionist and politician * Ethel May Halls (1882–1967), American actress * Julian Halls (born 1967), British field hockey player * ...

area.

Description

Alice Downs is situated approximately north east of Halls Creek and south of Warmun in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region. A portion of the

Panton River Panton River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The river rises below Alice Hill and it flows in an easterly direction before discharging into the Ord River on the southern edge of Purnululu National Park. The Panton ri ...

flows through the property, along with many of its tributaries such as Eales Creek and Wild Dog Creek. Stock can also be watered at numerous

springs Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

. The area consists of open downs covered with Mitchell, Flinders and

bundle Bundle or Bundling may refer to: * Bundling (packaging), the process of using straps to bundle up items Biology * Bundle of His, a collection of heart muscle cells specialized for electrical conduction * Bundle of Kent, an extra conduction pat ...

grasses. the property occupies an area of .

References

{{Stations of the Kimberley Western Australia Homesteads in Western Australia Pastoral leases in Western Australia Stations (Australian agriculture) Kimberley (Western Australia)

History

Description

See also

References