Liveringa
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Founder | Kimberley Pastoral Company (William Marmion, M. C. Davies, George and William Silas Pearse, Robert Frederick Sholl) |
| Headquarters | Kimberley , Australia |
Area served | Western Australia |
| Products | Cattle |
Liveringa, also referred to as Liveringa Station or Upper Liveringa Station, is a pastoral lease situated in Western Australia that has evolved from operating as a sheep station to functioning primarily as a cattle station.
Description
Positioned roughly southeast of the Looma Community and similarly southeast of Derby within the Kimberley area, Liveringa boasts a stretch along the Fitzroy River, which defines its southern perimeter.
Spanning an area of , the property supports a herd exceeding 22,000 cattle. Since 2010, the station's livestock management has been under Peter "Jed" O'Brien, who oversees operations including fodder cultivation through three centre-pivot irrigation systems and experimental planting of tropical grain varieties.
The estate encompasses fertile river flats where several fodder grasses such as Mitchell grass, Flinders grass, rice grass, ribbon grass, and bundle bundle thrive. These grasses yield sufficient biomass to be harvested and baled for use during the dry season.
The homestead precinct comprises the primary residence, a kitchen and dining facility for workers, a meat house, quarters for shearers, a workshop, and landscaped gardens. The main residence, constructed between the 1880s and 1890s using stone walls topped with corrugated iron roofing, was recognized by the National Trust in 2005 for its heritage value.
History
Established in 1881, Liveringa was initially secured under lease by the Kimberley Pastoral Company. Its founders included notable figures such as William Marmion, M. C. Davies, George and William Silas Pearse, and Robert Frederick Sholl, with William and John McLarty participating as smaller shareholders. Stock and supplies were transported from Fremantle to King Sound aboard the vessel Amur, then driven inland to set up the station.
Between 1886 and 1888, under manager John McLarty’s direction, foundational structures including the homestead, shearing shed, woolshed, and storeroom were erected. The original homestead made from timber and corrugated iron was replaced in 1908 by a sandstone building crafted locally under the supervision of third manager Percy Rose.
By 1911, Liveringa held a flock of 98,000 sheep that yielded 1,419 wool bales. The station faced significant flooding events in 1914 and again in 1938; the latter flood resulted in fatalities, among them former jockey William Skinner.
In 1930, Kim Rose assumed management; that year’s devastating flood inundated of land and caused the loss of approximately 30,000 sheep. During his leadership in 1940, Rose appointed Yoolya—son of Percy Rose with mixed heritage—as head stockman until an injury ended his service in the early 1960s.
By 1949, Liveringa extended over , enclosed by of fencing dividing it into 60 paddocks. The station averaged shearing about 57,000 sheep annually. The region experienced drought conditions between 1951 and 1953 that halved cattle numbers and led to investments in bores and supplementary feeding programs across several Kimberley properties.
The Australian Land and Cattle Company was formed in Western Australia in 1969 by Jack Miller Fletcher alongside Corey Crutcher. At its height, it controlled seven Kimberley stations covering nearly with a combined herd of around 100,000 cattle. Liveringa was part of this portfolio; here approximately were cleared for sorghum crops irrigated by flooding to supply company feedlots. By 1972, all sheep had been sold as the station fully transitioned to cattle before the company’s collapse during the 1980s.
In 1973, a portion west of the homestead measuring was excised to establish the Looma Community.
Starting in 2002, Liveringa introduced a crossbreeding initiative utilizing red Australian Brangus bulls bred over Brahman cows to develop cattle lines optimized for live export markets as well as southern Australian demand.
In 2014, mining entrepreneur Gina Rinehart purchased a half share in Liveringa along with adjacent Nerrima Station from agribusiness Milne Agrigroup for A$40 million. At that time, Liveringa maintained a herd numbering roughly 22,000 head of cattle.