Anlaby Station
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture, Tourism |
| Founded | 1839 |
| Founder | Frederick Dutton |
| Headquarters | Near Marrabel and Kapunda , Australia |
Area served | South Australia |
| Products | Merino sheep stud, farm produce, heritage tourism |
Number of employees | 70 (seasonal, at peak) |
Anlaby, also known as Anlaby Station, is a notable heritage tourism site situated approximately 12 kilometres southeast of Marrabel and 14 kilometres north of Kapunda in South Australia. Founded in 1839 by Frederick Dutton, it is home to South Australia's oldest Merino stud and ranks as the second-oldest in the nation. The estate includes important heritage-listed buildings on the South Australian Heritage Register, sprawling gardens covering 10 acres, and continues to operate as a functioning farm.
History
European explorers Hill, Wood, Willis, and Oakden first surveyed this region in March 1838 while mapping a route for overlanding from the Murray.
Established in 1839 by Capt. John Finnis, who initially named it "Mount Dispersion" (the Aboriginal name being Pudna), Anlaby holds the distinction of being Australia's earliest merino stud. Finnis introduced 12,000 sheep to the property. Frederick Dutton acquired the station in 1841, at a time when European settlement was still expanding. Originally, the estate encompassed an area approximately 25 miles in length and 10 miles in width. Adjacent pastoral holdings included W. S. Peter’s land to the west and north, and Bagot's Koonunga to the south. A mounted police outpost operated nearby from 1842, tasked with safeguarding sheep from potential threats. At its zenith, Anlaby supported a flock numbering up to 70,000 sheep and employed around 70 workers during its nine-month shearing season.
In 1843, a log cabin was constructed for Alexander Buchanan, who managed the property after Dutton renamed it Anlaby, inspired by a Yorkshire village connected to his family heritage. By 1851, due to policies promoting closer settlement, the station’s size was reduced to . The homestead’s three interconnected wings were erected in 1861 under Buchanan’s supervision.
Explorer John McKinlay visited Anlaby in August 1861 amid the South Australian Burke Relief Expedition and commended Buchanan’s generous hospitality.
A further portion of was subdivided for wheat cultivation until 1917; between 1918 and 1922, returned servicemen were allocated plots under the Soldiers Settlement Scheme.
Following Frederick Dutton’s death in 1890, ownership passed to his nephew Henry Dutton, who undertook considerable expansions of both the residence and gardens. This included commissioning a large conservatory designed by A. Simpson & Son of Adelaide in 1891.
Henry’s son, Henry Hampden Dutton ("Harry"), inherited Anlaby in 1914. Along with his wife Emily Martin, he enhanced the station with various additions such as a library constructed in 1928 to house their extensive collection of first edition books. Harry also acquired four oil paintings by Thomas Baines for this library, which contained complete series like James Cook's Voyages and John Gould's Mammals of Australia.
After Henry’s passing in 1932, Emily took charge of managing the station along with its flock of 1,132 ewes. The gardens were distinguished by exotic tree species forming a unique ring surrounding the homestead.
The Anlaby Pastoral Company was established in 1960 with partners including Emily Dutton (manager), John H. Dutton, Geoffrey P. Dutton, Helen Blackburn, and Leonie Dutton. In 1968, ownership transferred to the Mosey family who took over both the stud and property. In early 2009, Andrew Morphett became the proprietor of Anlaby Stud.
Managers
Throughout the period of the Dutton family's proprietorship, Anlaby Station was administered by several managers:
- Alexander Buchanan (1810–1865) held the managerial role from 1842 until his passing; his son subsequently became Master of the Supreme Court of South Australia.
- Henry Thomas Morris (1823–1911), a nephew of John Hindmarsh and one of the original immigrants arriving in 1836, followed Buchanan and directed operations until 1890, beginning his tenure as a stock inspector.
- Peter Mayoh Miller served as manager under Henry Dutton’s ownership from 1890 until his retirement in 1895.
- Claude de Neufville Lucas (1873–1936) succeeded Miller, overseeing the station from 1895 through to 1932.
- Harry Edkins, who previously managed Uno Station and Iron Knob—both also Dutton properties—was in charge until 1945.
- Norman Bridle took over management duties starting in 1945.
Heritage listing
Anlaby Homestead, along with its Shearing Shed, Slaughterhouse, Shearers' Quarters, and Manager's House, are each individually recorded on the South Australian Heritage Register.
Woolshed (Shearing Shed)
The initial woolshed at Anlaby, believed to have been constructed circa 1841 from timber, was replaced in 1871 by a substantial stone structure measuring 85 feet by 46 feet. This new shed was designed by William Gore and built by Johann Friedrich Schramm under the guidance of engineering firm English & Rees, ready for use during the 1871 shearing season. On 11 July 1871, Manager Henry Morris placed a £1 coin beneath the foundation stone. Adjacent to the shed, the Shearer's Kitchen was erected by contractor Peter McLaren to serve the workforce. During shearing periods in 1871, shearers consumed considerable supplies including eight to nine sheep carcasses and up to seventy gallons of tea. A galvanised iron addition was incorporated in 1904, and mechanised shearing commenced in 1906.
Heritage gardens
Spanning ten acres, Anlaby’s gardens and arboretums boast Australia’s most extensive private collection of heritage trees registered with the National Trust. The collection comprises 620 trees featuring both indigenous and introduced species. Notable heritage-listed specimens include:
- Himalayan cedar (blue variety) – Cedrus deodara
- Male common pistachio – Pistacia vera
- Siberian elm – Ulmus pumila var. pumila
- Cut-leaf Turkey-oak – Quercus cerris
- Pashia pear – Pyrus pashia
- Algerian oak – Quercus canariensis
- Rough-barked Arizona cypress – Hesperocyparis arizonica var. arizonica
- Common yellowwood – Afrocarpus falcatus
- Golden deodar cedar – Cedrus deodara 'Aurea
These trees have been acknowledged at multiple levels including local, regional, state, and national significance.
In literature
Geoffrey Dutton, an author who spent his childhood at Anlaby, chronicles his family’s history and the station’s pastoral heritage in his 1985 publication titled The Squatters.