Mardie Station

Coordinates: 21°11′46″S 118°00′56″E / 21.19611°S 118.01556°E / -21.19611; 118.01556 Mardie Station is a pastoral lease and sheep then cattle station thst was established in 1866 in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia near the mouth of the Fortescue River. The original pastoral lease was taken by Simpson and MacIntoch who worked for the Denison Plains Pastoral Company. The company equipped the barque Warrier in Melbourne and had inteneded to sail to Roebuck Bay to settle in another area but following a succession of calms the ship had to land at Cossack when the stock started die of dehydration. Upn landing the group decided to trek south west and eventually squatted at Mardie Springs. The station was established and by 1883 three paddocks were fenced, several wells had been dug and the flock was about 18,000 head of sheep.^[1]

The station was owned at one time by members of the Withnell family who also established many other stations in the North West including Sherlock, Mount Welcome, Mallina, Karratha, Chirritta and Edjudina.^[2]

The station covers an area of approximately 225,000 hectares^[3] and has over 8,000 head of specially bred cattle.^[4]

The station was hard hit by flooding in 1894 when the Fortescue River, usually about 10 miles away from the homestead, rose to within metres of the front door. The stockyards were destroyed and hundreds of sheep were washed away.^[5]

The station was sold by J.A. Withnell to B.H. Sharpe (who owns Wooleen Station) along with 30,000 head of sheep and 100 cattle in 1923 for £50,000.^[6]

It is currently owned by CITIC-Pacific, a Hong Kong-based company, who bought the station in 2007.^[7]

Home to the largest infestation of Mesquite in the state, following the introduction of two trees as shade trees around the homestead and shearing shed in the 1930s, it is estimated that around 150,000 hectares of the station now contain the plant.^[8][9] Approximately 30,000 hectares of the infestation is described as dense.^[10] Stock must be quaratined in paddocks free of Mesquite so the seeds can pass through their guts before they csn be moved on in order to prevent the pest from spreading further.

See also

• List of ranches and stations

References

1. ^ "RURAL GOSSIP.". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879-1954) (Perth, WA: National Library of Australia): p. 10. 27 April 1923. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22636793. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
2. ^ "Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Documentation". 2011-06-23. http://register.heritage.wa.gov.au/PDF_Files/M%20-%20A-D/Mount%20Welcome%20House%20(P-AD).PDF. 
3. ^ "Landline - Weed War". 2011-06-20. http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s983811.htm. 
4. ^ "Mardie Station - About us". 2011-06-20. http://www.mardiebeef.com.au/about.htm. 
5. ^ "THE FLOODS IN THE NOK-WEST.". Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885-1954) (Perth, WA: National Library of Australia): p. 27. 10 February 1894. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33103499. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
6. ^ "RURAL GOSSIP.". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879-1954) (Perth, WA: National Library of Australia): p. 10. 27 April 1923. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22636793. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
7. ^ "Outback Magazine - Pilbara Premium". 2011-06-20. http://www.outbackmag.com.au/stories/article-view?524. 
8. ^ "Landline - Weed War". 2011-06=20. http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s983811.htm. 
9. ^ "Best Practice Manual - Mesquite - Case Study 4". 2011-06-20. http://www.weeds.org.au/docs/Mesquite_Mgmnt-4.pdf. 
10. ^ "CSIRO - Controlling Mesquite in Northern Australia". 2011-06-20. http://www.csiro.au/science/Mesquite-Control--ci_pageNo-8.html.