Beringarra Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 19th century |
| Headquarters | Near Meekatharra , Australia |
Area served | Mid West region, Western Australia |
| Products | Sheep, cattle |
Beringarra Station, often referred to simply as Beringarra, is a pastoral lease situated in Western Australia that has evolved from operating as a sheep station to functioning as a cattle station.
Positioned approximately northwest of Meekatharra and southward of Paraburdoo within the Mid West region, the property is nourished by the northern tributary of the Murchison River. It shares its western boundary with Milly Milly Station and lies adjacent to Bindebaron Station on the southern side. The terrain primarily features grasslands and saltbush plains located on floodplains, containing numerous permanent waterholes.
Encompassing an area of , Beringarra includes of land classified as freehold, reserves, or vacant crown land. Approximately 72% of the terrain exhibits minimal erosion, while about half of the perennial vegetation is assessed as being in good to fair condition. The station’s carrying capacity is estimated at 7,290 sheep, although it has historically supported flocks numbering up to 11,290 sheep.
The initial selection of the land was made by John Forrest and William Butcher, with Butcher introducing sheep before transferring ownership to Messrs Campbell and Smith. By 1880, Henry and John Campbell had taken possession of Beringarra but sold it in 1882—stocked with 9,000 sheep, 12 cattle, and horses—to H. Darlot from Melbourne. By 1886, the property had expanded to .
Following an unfavorable season in 1906, Darlot placed Beringarra on the market in 1907. At that time, the property consisted of leasehold plus freehold areas and was stocked with 12,500 mixed sheep, 2,000 cattle, and 70 horses. Infrastructure included a six-bedroom main homestead, several workers’ cottages, a blacksmith’s workshop, a shearing shed with 20 stands, stables, an outstation house, extensive fencing (), wells equipped with windmills, and reservoirs. The auction did not meet reserve at £19,000. Subsequently, ownership transferred to The New Zealand and Australian Land Company Limited prior to 1912.
Between 1910 and 1914, rainfall recorded by manager Mr. Rymer varied annually from to . A severe drought in 1912 caused cancellation of shearing activities and necessitated moving stock southward for feed. Improved rainfall in 1913 enabled acquisition of 5,000 sheep from eastern states and planned shearing of a total flock numbering 15,000. The wool harvest in 1914 produced 316 bales of greasy wool alongside 16 bales of scoured wool; at this time the station supported a flock of 17,000 sheep across .
Sheep populations experienced significant variation after World War I: from shearing 51,000 sheep in 1918 down to just 9,000 by 1921 due to drought-related starvation and high lamb mortality rates. Despite these difficulties, the 1921 season yielded a respectable output of 225 wool bales. By 1927 shearing numbers had risen again to include 47,634 sheep (of which 11,400 were lambs), resulting in production of 901 wool bales.
During the drought conditions experienced in 2010 affecting both Beringarra and nearby Milly Milly Pastoral Company stations, manager Simon Broad adopted measures such as separating calves from cows and providing supplementary feeding to maintain livestock health.