Cowarie Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Founded | 1875 |
| Founder | William Benjamin Rounsevell |
| Headquarters | Marree (nearest town) , Australia |
Area served | Northeastern South Australia |
| Products | Cattle (shorthorn and Santa Gertrudis) |
Cowarie Station, often referred to simply as Cowarie, is a pastoral lease functioning as a cattle station located in the northeastern part of South Australia.
Situated to the north of Marree and southwest of Birdsville, the property is where the Diamantina River meets the Mulligan River, creating the Warburton River, which flows in a southwestern direction towards Lake Eyre.
History
At the close of 1875, William Benjamin Rounsevell was granted a 21-year lease for the area, which spanned , and named it Cowarie after a nearby hill. The name, derived from Aboriginal language, denotes a type of local marsupial rat. Following the issuance of several leases and increased movement along the Birdsville track, a post office was established at Cowarie in 1877.
In 1895, Sidney Kidman and his brother Sackville purchased Cowarie—Kidman’s inaugural property—setting the groundwork for what would evolve into Australia's largest cattle enterprise.
By 1999, under the management of Sharon Oldfield, Cowarie encompassed . Oldfield was honored with the Commonwealth Bank Ibis award recognizing her achievements in rural productivity and her commitment to wildlife conservation on the station.
In 2009, the station maintained a herd composed of shorthorn and Santa Gertrudis cattle, taking advantage of floodwaters from the Diamantina River that year.
Mirra Mitta Bore
Drilled in 1903 as part of a South Australian government initiative to provide reliable water sources along the Birdsville-Marree stock route, the Mirra Mitta Bore reaches a depth exceeding . It remains an essential water supply and a well-known stop along the Birdsville Track. The location includes a horizontal pipe that releases hot artesian water into a circular pond about in diameter, with excess water flowing through an adjoining bore drain.