Canobie Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle farming |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Founder | Edward Palmer |
| Headquarters | Cloncurry , Australia |
Area served | Gulf Country, Queensland |
| Products | Gulf-composite cattle |
| Owner | Australian Agricultural Company |
Canobie Station, often referred to simply as Canobie, is a pastoral lease functioning as a cattle station situated approximately north of Cloncurry and southwest of Croydon within Queensland.
Spanning an area of in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Canobie maintains a herd of around 35,000 gulf-composite cattle. The property is under the ownership of the Australian Agricultural Company. Its terrain consists primarily of black soil plains characteristic of the Gulf Country, while the Cloncurry River and its tributaries serve as essential water sources for the livestock.
Founded in 1864 by Edward Palmer from Wollongong, Canobie originally raised both cattle and sheep. The early years were marked by environmental hardships including droughts and flooding, notably severe floods in 1891 which resulted in significant livestock losses. Following the early death of Palmer’s partner, the station’s homestead was destroyed by fire in 1895.
Ownership changed multiple times: in 1908, A.J. Cotton purchased the property, which then supported 23,000 cattle and 451 horses; four years later, in 1912, Canobie West Station was sold to New Zealand and Australian Land Co. Ltd. In 1948, a Qantas mail aircraft was lost to fire on the premises.
During the 1970s, there was a shift from shorthorn to Brahman cattle breeds to better adapt to tropical climates. The Australian Agricultural Company acquired Canobie in 1985, merging it with adjacent Alcalá station and further enlarging the operation in 1990 by incorporating Lyrian Downs.
Together with neighboring Wondoola Station, Canobie forms part of the Saxby project—a collaborative nickel exploration venture between Anglo American and Falcon Minerals—with drilling activities planned as of 2009.