Arkaba Station
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tourism, Conservation, Agriculture (historical) |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Founder | William James Browne and John Harris Browne |
| Headquarters | Flinders Ranges , Australia |
Area served | South Australia |
| Products | Tourism, Wildlife conservation, Formerly sheep grazing |
Arkaba, also known as Arkaba Station, is a property combining part-perpetual lease and freehold tenure, located approximately northeast of Hawker and south of Blinman within the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.
Spanning an area of , the station transitioned from its previous role as a sheep grazing enterprise to a focus on tourism activities.
The landscape includes sandstone cliffs, expansive plains, creek lines adorned with river red gum trees, and adjoins the natural amphitheatre known as Wilpena Pound to its northern boundary.
The term 'arkaba' is said to translate to land of abundance in the local Adnyamathanha language.
History
The initial lease commenced in 1851 by brothers William James Browne and John Harris Browne, who managed multiple properties; at that time, Arkaba was stocked with 6,000 sheep yielding approximately of wool.
By 1863, under the stewardship of George and Frank Marchant, the station supported roughly 27,000 sheep over of lightly wooded terrain with permanent water sources, capable of sustaining nearly 35,000 sheep. The property was put up for auction but withdrawn from sale due to failure to meet the reserve price and subsequently offered privately.
Significant events include a drowning incident in 1872 and a suicide among station employees in 1873. Between 1889 and 1893, wheat cultivation was undertaken on the property, producing an average exceeding 12 bushels per acre despite annual rainfall being under 15 inches.
In 1897, a swagman was discovered deceased on the premises; no inquest was conducted.
A shearing milestone occurred in 1927 when shearer H. R. Cutter shorn 277 sheep within eight hours, breaking the previous record of 274 set in 1912. Ownership at this time was attributed to O. G. Bartholomaeun.
In 2007, Arkaba endured significant flooding after receiving of rain over three days—approximately three times the typical monthly precipitation—resulting in swollen creeks and damage to the family cemetery; however, the homestead remained unharmed. Owner Dean Rasheed described this as the most severe flood since European settlement.
The Rasheed family sold Arkaba in 2009 for $2.5 million to Wild Bush Luxury, a tourism operator also managing properties at Ningaloo in Western Australia and Bamurru Plains in the Northern Territory. After investing $1 million in renovations, the homestead reopened in November of that year. In 2010, Abercrombie & Kent ranked Arkaba among their top ten semi-adventure travel destinations; notable visitors include Nicole Kidman. The property was listed again in 2012 for over AUD 4 million but was withdrawn from the market by 2014 when it was also fully destocked.
Presently, Arkaba functions as both a tourism resort and a private wildlife conservation area.