Moolooloo Station (also known as Moolooloo and Moorillah Stations) is a

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to Pastoral farming, graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Austral ...

that operates as a

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It is situated approximately north west of

Blinman Blinman is a locality incorporating two towns in the Australian state of South Australia within the Flinders Ranges about north of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. It includes the highest surveyed town in South Australia, wi ...

and south of Leigh Creek. The property was established in 1851 and originally known as Oratunga Station. John McKinley and his brother stocked the property with sheep and built a stone hut known as Howannigan, the ruins of which can still be seen today. John and James Chambers acquired the station in 1853. Five leases totalling were taken up between 1853 and 1858.

Copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

was found by James Chambers and

William Finke William Finke (1814 or 1815 – 17 January 1864) was chief clerk to the first treasurer of the province of South Australia who arrived in the first fleet carrying British settlers there. He became an explorer, prospecting, prospector and pastoralis ...

in 1857 along the southern boundary. The pair worked the deposit, establishing the Oratunga mine. The store at Moolooloo burnt down in 1861, with the Chambers losing a large supply in the resulting explosion. In 1863 the woolshed and adjoining sheep yards were destroyed by a fire that was started accidentally. In 1870 Philip Levi's company disposed of many of its properties including Moolooloo and

Wirrealpa Wirrealpa Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a sheep station and cattle station in South Australia. The property is situated approximately south east of Leigh Creek and north east of Quorn, on the eastern side of the Flinders Ra ...

, Oulnina and Wadnaminga, Mount Margaret and Booleroo Station. Together these properties were stocked with over 70,000 sheep and 3,000 cattle. Moolooloo and Moorillah Stations are currently both run by the same family and together occupy an area of . The shearers' quarters are used now for tourist accommodation. The land occupying the extent of the Moolooloo pastoral lease was gazetted as two localities by the Government of South Australia on 26 April 2013 under the names Moolooloo and Moorillah.

References

{{Stations of South Australia Stations in South Australia Far North (South Australia)

See also

References