Coorabulka
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle grazing |
| Headquarters | Boulia (nearest town) , Australia |
Area served | Queensland, Australia |
| Products | Cattle |
| Parent | North Australian Pastoral Company |
Coorabulka Station, often referred to simply as Coorabulka, is a cattle grazing lease situated in Queensland, Australia.
Description
Positioned roughly 99 kilometres southeast of Boulia and 259 kilometres north of Birdsville within the Channel Country of Central West Queensland, Coorabulka spans an area close to 6,370 square kilometres. The property maintains a herd of about 8,000 cattle and serves as a weaner-growing enterprise under the North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCo). Its terrain mainly features open downs dominated by Mitchell and Flinders grasses, while floodplains make up nearly one-quarter of the land. Coorabulka shares boundaries with NAPCo’s Marion Downs station to the west and Monkira station to the south.
History
Coorabulka was originally established on lands belonging to the Rakkaia people prior to 1882. By 1883, ownership rested with Mr Ferguson, who focused on cattle fattening operations. Management shifted by 1884 to Ferguson, Woods and Co., who were responsible for driving large herds to market. By 1890, the proprietors were known as Wellington, Woods and Ferguson.
The station was placed on the market in 1900, at which time it covered 482 square miles and supported 2,552 cattle alongside 144 horses; however, it was later withdrawn from sale. Later that year, ownership transferred to Collins, White and Co., who in 1901 drilled the first bore producing over one million gallons of water daily. In 1904, significant flooding nearly devastated the property; later that same year, its sixth bore was estimated to yield approximately three million gallons daily from artesian sources.
In 1933, John Collins and his sons purchased Coorabulka for £24,000; they also held part ownership of Glenormiston Station. This transaction included a stock of 2,500 cattle and 100 horses. Six years later, in 1939, John Collins and sons sold Coorabulka to the Monkir Pastoral Company. At that time, it encompassed 3,013 square miles distributed over three leases and carried a herd of 6,700 Shorthorn cattle plus 166 horses. That same year, NAPCo acquired both Monkira and Coorabulka as part of their strategy to breed cattle at Alexandria Station in the Northern Territory and finish them in the Channel Country.
In 1940, a rat infestation caused extensive damage across roughly 4,000 square miles of grazing land surrounding Coorabulka. In 1949, the Green family endured being trapped by floodwaters at the homestead for 36 hours before being rescued.
By 2007, NAPCo invested AUD1.5 million in capping ten bores and enhancing infrastructure aimed at preserving water from the Great Artesian Basin. John Powell assumed management of the station in 2009 alongside his wife Tracey and a team of eight staff members; they relocated from managing Herbert Downs outstation at nearby Marion Downs.