Balfour Downs Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Headquarters | Pilbara , Australia |
Area served | Australia, Middle East, Asia (export markets) |
| Products | Cattle (Polled Red Brahman) |
Balfour Downs Station is a pastoral lease functioning as a cattle station, situated roughly northeast of Newman, eastward of Roy Hill, and southeast of Nullagine within the Pilbara area of Western Australia. Encompassing , it stands among the largest cattle stations in Australia.
Description
Covering an area of , Balfour Downs supports a herd exceeding 25,000 Zebu cattle, predominantly consisting of Polled Red Brahman breed. The station’s livestock includes 15,000 breeding cows that annually produce about 8,000 steers and heifers, mainly destined for export markets in the Middle East and Asia. The grazing terrain is mineral-rich, featuring extensive floodplains and watercourses with native grasses such as Mitchell, Flinders, and buffel.
The property is outfitted with 35 recently constructed ring dams capable of storing more than of water. Valued between $15 million and $20 million AUD as of 2012, Balfour Downs utilizes R22 Beta helicopters to assist with mustering livestock.
The Talawana Track traverses the station, providing access to the indigenous community of Jigalong, located approximately southward, and to Karlamilyi National Park, situated around east.
History
The name Babburain was documented in 1910 as the Aboriginal term referring to the region along the Oakover River that includes Balfour Downs Station.
In 1910, management was transferred to Mr. A. H. Crofton from Broadhurst, McNeil and Company, who had prior experience overseeing Pyramid Station. Three years later, in 1913, heavy rainfall caused flooding from the Oakover River that inundated the station then co-owned by Crofton.
In 1915, an Aboriginal man named Darby from the Oakover River vicinity passed away, leaving behind two children who were forcibly removed in 1917. These children were initially placed in care at Nullagine before being relocated to the Moore River Native Settlement. That same year, an Aboriginal man known as Big Bob was killed on the station by drover Charles Park; Park’s death sentence was later reduced to five years imprisonment, leading to his release in 1921.
Doris Pilkington Garimara, author of Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, was born on Balfour Downs in 1937. She and her mother were removed to Moore River settlement when she was four years old.
Communication between Balfour Downs and nearby stations such as Ethel Creek Station was maintained through bush telephone lines and a pedal-operated wireless radio transmitter with a range extending as far as Port Hedland.
William Dunnett, who had been a part-owner since 1918, died in 1948.
Cattle from Balfour Downs were frequently driven overland to Meekatharra before being transported by truck to Midland yards. Significant cattle drives included shipments of approximately 600 head in 1929, 180 in 1932, 80 in 1938, another 600 in 1939, and 700 in 1949.
By 2010, Enipend Pty. Ltd., managed by Donald Hoar and owned by the Hoar family since prior to 2005, held the pastoral lease under Crown Lease numbers CL110-1970 and CL136-1989.
In 2014, ownership of Balfour Downs transferred to Chinese entrepreneur Xingfa Ma for around A$18 million. Ma also owns Ferngrove Wine Group located in Western Australia's Great Southern region along with Emu Downs Station.
In February 2022, ownership changed hands again when Harvest Road purchased Balfour Downs from Ma.