Noonkanbah Station

Noonkanbah Station (or just Noonkanbah) is a cattle station on the Fitzroy River between Camballin and Fitzroy Crossing. The station was pegged out in the 1880s and covered approximately 4,000 square kilometres (400,000 hectares)or 1,000,000 Acres in the south central Kimberley of Western Australia. The traditional owners now control around 1800 Square Kilometres.

History

The station was at one stage owned by pastoralist William Cox who fathered at least two children to local Yungngora women. One of his sons, Davey, stayed on to run the station after his father returned to another of his stations, Louisa Downs.

World War II

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) established a base, named Nookanbah, at the civil airfield at the station on 1 March 1943. No. 75 Operational Base Unit operated the base during its wartime use.

Large petrol and bomb dumps were established and the airfield was used by the Netherlands East Indies Air Force as a staging base. No 24 Squadron, 25 Squadron and 31 Squadron all utilized the airfield. The airfield was large enough to handle B-24 Liberators.

On 30 September 1944, the airfield base was made non-operational, and on 24 December 1945, the airfield was disbanded.

Traditional ownership

The traditional owners - the Yungngora people were employed by the station owners until 1971 until they walked off over a pay and conditions dispute.^[1] In 1976 the station was purchased by the Aboriginal Land Fund to be developed by the traditional owners. It has since then been run by the people of the Yungngora Community.

The station was the scene for an intense political dispute when the government of the day allowed exploration company AMAX to drill for oil in sacred sites. The mining boom experienced in the 1970s led to hundreds of resource tenements being pegged on the pastoral station in the Kimberley, but an anthropological report found the land covered by the station had spiritual significance for the Yungngora community. Western Australia's Premier, Charles Court, was adamant that the exploration should go ahead regardless - and a convoy of 45 non-union drilling rigs and trucks left Perth protected by hundreds of police on 7 August 1980. Violent confrontations between police and Noonkanbah protesters ensued, culminating in the drilling rigs forcing their way through community picket lines onto sacred land.^[2]

In April 2007, the Yungngora people had their native title recognised over the Noonkanbah land.^[3][4][5]

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  Ruins of the Old Station buildings

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  Noonkanbah woolshed, now the community centre

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  Sandy Billabong, near Yungngora community, with many pairs of eyes watching

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  Secondary section of the Kulkarriya Community School

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  Primary section of the Kulkarriya Community School

References

1. ^ Tony Smith (2002). Indigenous Accumulation and the Question of Land in the Kimberly Region of Western Australia: Pre 1968-1975. http://eh.net/XIIICongress/cd/papers/58Smith195.pdf. 
2. ^ Andrea Mayes (23 December 2007). "Sir Charles Court dead at 96". news.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22966125-2761,00.html. Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
3. ^ "Yungngora people given native title in WA". 27 April 2007. http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2007/s1908091.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-01. 
4. ^ "Hundreds welcome native title ruling at Noonkanbah". 27 April 2007. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1908166.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-01. 
5. ^ "Native title at Noonkanbah not the end of the story" (fee required). Crikey.com.au. 30 April 2007. http://www.crikey.com.au/Email/Preview/DailyEmailPreview.aspx?pid=e152394a-816e-444b-8356-7cc318b8d556#c9def6ba-5011-4931-aca5-3e36cea22c5d. Retrieved 2007-05-01. 

External links

Noonkanbah Station is located at 18°29′56″S 124°49′52″E / 18.499°S 124.831°E / -18.499; 124.831Coordinates: 18°29′56″S 124°49′52″E / 18.499°S 124.831°E / -18.499; 124.831

• AMAX drills
• OzatWar Website
• McLeavy, Lyn, 1948- Land Council meeting, Fitzroy Crossing, W.A. October 1979 photograph at National Library of Australia, Canberra