Isis Downs Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 1867 |
| Founder | Charles Lumley-Hill, W. St John Holberton, W. B. Allen |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Queensland |
| Products | Cattle (currently), formerly sheep |
Isis Downs Station is a pastoral lease located in Queensland, Australia. It currently functions as a cattle station, having previously operated as a sheep station.
Location
Situated approximately south of Ilfracombe and west of Blackall, the property is bordered by the Barcoo River.
History
Founded in 1867 by Charles Lumley-Hill, W. St John Holberton, and W. B. Allen, the station was named after England’s Isis River. By 1872, the estate was stocked with roughly 20,000 sheep and was placed on the market. The following year, it sold for £17,067 to John Govett and James Thomson, while neighboring unstocked parcels were sold separately.
Govett and Thomson employed Chinese workers, blackbirded South Sea Islanders, and Aboriginal laborers; several Islanders succumbed to typhoid fever, and violent incidents were reported. The town of Isisford was established nearby in 1877 to support the pastoral operations.
In 1877, William John Clarke purchased Isis Downs and retained ownership until 1883. The property changed hands several times before Sir Rupert Clarke acquired it in 1910. At that point, the station spanned and was valued at £200,000. By 1912, the sheep population had grown to 200,000. That year, a fire destroyed the woolshed along with 1,200 bales of wool.
The prominent Isis Downs Woolshed was completed in 1914, notable as Queensland’s largest and first equipped with electric shearing stands. Covering , the station supported a flock of 320,000 sheep. Due to declining staff numbers in the 1960s, the jackaroo quarters were demolished.
In 1954, around 50,000 sheep were shorn on the property.
Consolidated Pastoral Company acquired Isis Downs in 1987 for an estimated AUD 10 million after land resumptions had reduced its size to . Later, following Kerry Packer’s strategic shift toward beef cattle and meat processing, the station—stocked with 80,000 merino sheep and 10,000 cattle—was listed for sale but did not sell at an asking price near AUD 20 million.
By 2004, Consolidated Pastoral Company removed all sheep from the property and introduced 6,000 Charolais Brahman cross females bred with Angus bulls. Currently, the station supports up to 24,000 cattle with an annual turn-off close to 10,000 head.