Avon Downs is a
pastoral station 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 ...
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 ...
of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. It is located 260 kilometres northwest of
Mount Isa
Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive mines in world history, based on co ...
.
Early history
Indigenous people have lived in the Barkly region for thousands of years. The first European to enter the area was
William Landsborough
William Landsborough (21 February 1825 – 16 March 1886) was an explorer of Australia. He was notable for being the first explorer to complete a North-to-South crossing of Australia. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council.
...
in 1861. He reported the pastoral potential of the region describing it as the "finest pastoral country he had ever seen".
In 1866, John and James Ranken, two cousins from old pastoral families in
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, herded 4,000
sheep
Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...
to the area from Queensland's
Mackay Mackay may refer to:
*Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives
Mackay may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Mackay Region, a local government area
** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region
*** Mackay Airport ...
district, escaping severe drought. They settled in the area now known as Avon Downs. Three watercourses are named after them, the Ranken River, James River and Lorne Creek. Other pastoralists moved to the area throughout the 1860s, but poor wool prices caused the Rankens and others to abandon the area.
In 1882 Thomas Guthrie purchased 1920 square km of the Barkly, expanding that later to more than 3600 square km, naming it Avon Downs after his
merino
The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...
stud 'Rich Avon' in Victoria. It took 12 months to transport the first sheep to the station. Within three decades he developed the property to have a carrying capacity of 70,000 merinos.
The station was sold in 1921 to the Peel River Company.
Recent history
Avon Downs is now owned by the
Australian Agricultural Company
The Australian Agricultural Company (AACo; ) is a public-listed Australian company that, as of 2018, owns and operates feedlots and farms covering around of land in Queensland and the Northern Territory, roughly one percent of Australia's land ...
and is managed by Adam and Jordyn Ballantine.
References
Pastoral leases in the Northern Territory
{{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub