Dunbar Station (Queensland)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Founded | before 1883 |
| Founder | Thomas Hungerford and sons |
| Headquarters | Maramie , Australia |
Area served | Queensland, Australia |
| Products | Cattle (Brahman) |
| Owner | McDonald family (MDH Pty Ltd) |
Dunbar Station operates as a cattle station under a pastoral lease in Queensland, Australia. The homestead is situated along the Burke Developmental Road near Maramie within the boundaries of the Shire of Carpentaria.
Description
Located in Queensland's Gulf Country, the property lies approximately southeast of Kowanyama and northeast of Normanton. It is positioned within the drainage basin of the Nassau River, with both the Nassau and Mitchell River traversing the land. The station encompasses thirteen creeks and eight lagoons that supply water to its livestock. The landscape is characterized by flat open plains composed of grey clay loam soils dating back to the Cainozoic era, along with Quaternary sand deposits, which support sparse open eucalypt savannah and coarse grass species.
History
Dunbar Station was established prior to 1883 on traditional lands belonging to the Ngundjan people, originally owned by Thomas Hungerford and his sons. By 1889, the property carried a herd of 10,000 cattle but was capable of supporting up to 30,000. In 1913, mortgage holders sold the enlarged estate—which included Dunbar alongside Clark's Creek and Meranginna Leases—at auction; at that time it was stocked with 12,297 cattle and 236 horses and featured multiple stockyards and a homestead.
In 1929, J. S. Love from Townsville purchased Dunbar for £50,000. The station then covered an area of , supporting around 18,000 cattle. Love also possessed other Gulf region properties such as Gainsford and Valley of Lagoons Station. By 1954, under the management of John McRae for J. S. Love Estates, Dunbar maintained a herd of roughly 20,000 cattle, with earnings allocated to charitable causes.
Don McDonald acquired Dunbar in 1991. As of 2007, ownership remained with the McDonald family who continued to run the property privately. Management was handled by Peter and Debra Hagan, overseeing a herd numbering about 35,000 Brahman cattle. Dunbar forms part of MDH Pty Ltd’s holdings—a company owned by the McDonald family—which includes eleven cattle stations throughout Queensland.