Rocklea Station, often referred to as Rocklea, is a pastoral lease that once operated 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 ...

but now 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 located about south west of Tom Price and north west of Paraburdoo in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Rocklea occupies an area of and shares boundaries with Turee Creek Station, Ashburton Downs, Mininer and Wyloo Stations as well as vacant

crown land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

. The property is divided by a line of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

hills, including Mount Jope, that splits it into a northern and southern half. Otherwise the station is composed of broad sandy and clayey plains. Established prior to 1911, the property was producing

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

in that year. In 1925 Rocklea was owned by Smith and Smith. In 1949 Oscar Leonard Smith died in his sleep at a well on the property. The property changed from grazing sheep to cattle in the 1960s. In 1979 Rocklea was running a herd of 1,200 head of cattle, and is estimated to be able to run 2,660 head in a good season. The mining company

Hamersley Iron Pilbara Iron manages assets for Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and Robe River Iron Associates, an unincorporated joint venture between Rio Tinto (53%) and Japanese steel companies Mitsui Iron Ore Development (33%) and N ...

, a part of Rio Tinto, currently own Rocklea. Rio Tinto own another five stations in the Pilbara, including

Yarraloola Yarraloola or Yarraloola Station is a pastoral lease that once operated as a sheep station but is currently operating as a cattle station in Western Australia. It is located west of Pannawonica and east of Onslow along the Robe River in t ...

, Hamersley and Juna. Collectively the properties run a herd of approximately 24,000 cattle.

References

{{Stations of the Pilbara Western Australia Stations in the Pilbara

See also

References