Keeroongooloo
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Founded | 1870s |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Channel Country, South West Queensland |
Key people | Peter Hughes and family |
| Products | Cattle |
| Owner | Georgina Pastoral Company (a division of Hughes Pastoral Group) |
Keeroongooloo, previously referred to as Keerongooloo or Keerongoola, is a pastoral lease functioning as a cattle station situated in the Channel Country region of South West Queensland, Australia.
Description
Extending along the banks of Cooper Creek, this property maintains a cattle population of approximately 15,000 head. Ownership rests with the Georgina Pastoral Company, which operates as a division of the Hughes Pastoral Group, under the leadership of Peter Hughes and his family.
History
Originally, the land belonged to the Bidia people. In the late 1860s, British pastoralist John Costello secured the territory that would become Keeroongooloo station. He parceled out part of his lease to James Scanlan, who named his portion Springfield. The first livestock introduction at Keeroongooloo occurred in 1871 by John Bligh Nutting and Robert Doyle. Nutting, formerly an officer with the Native Police, along with his stockmen, forcibly displaced the Bidia people amid disputes related to cattle.
Another segment of the lease, known as Wombinderry, was acquired in 1871 by Alexander Reid of A. Reid and Company, where he initiated a horse breeding enterprise. Early in 1872, following an incident in which one of Reid’s stockmen was killed by members of the Bidia community, Native Police units conducted a retaliatory massacre along Cooper Creek.
Since its establishment in the 1870s, Keeroongooloo has been held by multiple proprietors including John Hope, Vincent James Dowling, G. Scarfe, the Queensland Government, the Birt family, and the Australian Pastoral Company before ultimately coming under management by the Hughes family.
In 1988, renowned country musician Slim Dusty featured Keeroongooloo Station on his album Cattlemen from the High Plains.