16°27′25″S 134°39′00″E / 16.457°S 134.65°E
Tanumbirini Station is a pastoral lease on formerly what were Kotandji lands that operates as a cattle station in Northern Territory of Australia.
The property is situated approximately 170 kilometres (106 mi) north of Elliott and 182 kilometres (113 mi) west of Borroloola. The property abuts both the Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve and Amungee Mungee Station to the west.[1] Tanumbirini also shares a boundary with Nutwood Downs to the west, Beetaloo Station to the south, Broadmere to the east and the Alawa Aboriginal Land Trust to the north.[2] The Carpentaria Highway passes through the property.
It currently occupies an area of 5,001 square kilometres (1,931 sq mi) and is owned by Rallen Australia (owned by the Ravazzotti and Langenhoven families from South Africa) who acquired the property, along with nearby Forrest Hill Station for A$70 million. The properties have a combined area of 5,593 km2 (2,159 sq mi) and are able to support approximately 40,000 head of cattle.[3]
History
editThe station was established in 1893 when Henry Coop of Calvert Downs moved his cattle west to form the new station at Tanumbirini. Records claim that whilst with his cattle on the Robinson River, Coop was "speared by Aborigines but survives". Calvert Downs was abandoned and Coop established the new Tanumbirini station in 1894.[4][5]
In 2002 the property was acquired by Henry and Maria Townsend. The 5,000-square-kilometre (1,931 sq mi) property had been suffering from overgrazing and the black soil plans were completely denuded of grass. At the time it was stocked with 10,000 cattle with an additional 2,000 to 3,000 feral cattle.[6] The Townsends redeveloped the property and changed the management practices. They also increased the stock on the property to 23,000 head of cattle before selling in 2007.[6]
Sterling Buntine, who also owned Bedford Downs Station in Western Australia and Amburla Station in the Northern Territory, acquired Tanumbirini in 2007 for an undisclosed sum. At the time it had an area of 3,680 square kilometres (1,421 sq mi) and was to be subdivided and auctioned before Buntine bought it.[7]
The property was then acquired by Thames Pastoral Company, who purchased the property from Sterling Buntine in 2012 for A$30 million.[8] The sale of the station included approximately 28,000 head of cattle. Several watercourses flow through the property including Arnold River, Cox River, Tanumbirini Creek and Williams Creek.[2]
Buntine sold the property in 2012 along with Forrest Hill Station to the Thames Pastoral Company for about A$33 million.[3]
In 2020 the property, along with Forrest Hill station, was acquired by the current owners, Rallen Australia, for $70 million.[9] Tanumbirini and Forrest Hill were sold in one line by Rawdon Briggs and Bram Pollock of Colliers International, and Geoff Warriner and Chris Holgar of JLL.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve - Management Plan". Northern Territory Government. 2005. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Northern Territory Pastoral Properties" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ a b Larry Schlesinger (3 February 2020). "South African rich-lister scoops up NT cattle stations for $70m". Domain Group. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ "Northern Territory Times". Northern Territory Times and Gazette. Darwin, Northern Territory: National Library of Australia. 9 April 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Cabinet records release". 3 August 2022.
- ^ a b David Mason-Jones (2012). Should Meat be on the Menu?. Momentum. ISBN 9781743340608.
- ^ Stephen Skinner (23 May 2007). "Maryfield sale and muster". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Australia - Massive UK farm investment". Meat Trade News. 8 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "South African rich-lister scoops up NT cattle stations for $70m". Australian Financial Review. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2022.