Pyramid Station is a pastoral lease and
cattle station located approximately east of
Karratha in the
Pilbara region of
Western Australia. The station has also previously run
sheep on its pastures.
Covering an area of , the station is situated in a
BTV quarantine area and runs a herd of
Brahman cattle most of which are exported to
Indonesia. The station consists mostly of open plains that are well covered in
Mitchell, bundle-bundle and other grasses. The plains are interspersed with broken hilly country studded with
saltbush.
The
homestead and outbuildings are situated on a level plain overlooking the
George River from the eastern bank. King's Pyramid, the hill from which the station takes its name, is located to the south.
The station was initially established in 1865 by
Alexander Robert Richardson
Alexander Robert Richardson (4 July 1847 – 2 May 1931) was an Australian pastoralist and politician. He made a fortune through the development of pastoral leases in the North-West, and later served in both houses of the Parliament of Western ...
, his elder brother
John Elliott Richardson
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, and their cousin A.E. Anderson. The Richardsons were among the seven shareholders in the Portland Squatting Company. The group left
Victoria aboard ''Maria Ross'' along with 1600
ewes and set up the station along the
George River then peacock runs out along other watercourses.
In 1869 the group divided their flock with the Richardsons and Jack Edgar controlling 4500 sheep at Pyramid and buying out the other partners from 1869-1872.
Another previous owner of the station was Eva Broadhurst, who was much admired by the explorer
Frank Hann, who named several geographical features after her. Her grave is situated not far from the station homestead. Her husband H.T Broadhurst arrived at Pyramid in 1893 and the couple lived there until Eva died at 38 years of age in 1909.
The station suffered damages to the cost of £300 following a storm and resulting floods in 1894.
The Broadhurst family sold the station in 1910; J. G. Meares sold his share of the nearby
Sherlock Station in 1910 to
Samuel Peter Mackay
Samuel Peter Mackay (1864 – 11 May 1923) was a pastoralist and businessman in Western Australia.
His parents were pioneers from Ben Mohr Estate, Snizort, Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire, who emigrated with their parents, perhaps to Victori ...
and bought Pyramid Station. Meares paid £28,000 for the station, which was considered good value at the time. The station encompassed an area of and supported 20,000 sheep, 400 cattle and 200 horses. The manager of the station at the time was Mr Crofton who later went on to manage
Balfour Downs Station.
In 1911, MacKay unsuccessfully bid £25,000 for the
Croydon Station, which adjoins Pyramid.
Meares expanded his land-holding when he purchased Woodbrook and Andover Stations for £32,000 in 1912. Woodbrook adjoined Pyramid in 1912; Meares' purchase included all the stock for both properties.
1914 was a dry year with the district receiving little rain, but 33,000 sheep were shorn that year under the supervision of the Meares family, who still owned the station.
In 1915 Meares received 34
stud rams, which arrived from interstate aboard ''SS Charon'' on its last sea voyage.
The station was owned by a
pharmacist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
named Peter Cook in 2012. Cook also owned four other stations in the Pilbara. The station was managed by Glenn Connell and sold about 500 head of cattle per year which are shipped out via
Port Hedland. Pyramid is operating under the Crown Lease number CL927-1965 and has the Land Act number LA3114/492.
In 2015 it was purchased by Bettini Bros (now Bettini Beef) in a package with
Mallina and Sherlock Stations. The Bettinis still owned the lease in 2018.
See also
*
List of ranches and stations
References
{{Stations of the Pilbara Western Australia
Pastoral leases in Western Australia
Pilbara
Stations (Australian agriculture)
1865 establishments in Australia