Louisa Downs Station
| Company type | Cattle station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Headquarters | Kimberley , Australia |
Area served | Approximately 1,000,000 acres (historically combined with Bohemia Downs) |
| Products | Cattle |
Louisa Downs, often referred to simply as "Louisa," is an extensive cattle station positioned approximately halfway between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek within Western Australia's Kimberley area.
Description
Initially covering around , the property encompasses a large segment of the southeastern Wunaamin-Miliwundi Ranges, with its southern perimeter adjoining the northern boundary of the Great Sandy Desert.
In 1962, Karl Stein acquired Louisa Downs and merged it with the adjacent Bohemia Downs (currently known as Kupartiya), a combined area close to 1,000,000 acres, managing both properties as a single operation with roughly 17,000 cattle under management.
The Margaret River flows into the station near where it meets the Mary River, coursing northwest between the Lubbock and Kuniandi Ranges before traversing the Mueller Ranges at "Me No Savy," a location identified for possible irrigation projects.
The station’s homestead is located along the banks of the Margaret River close to Mount Frank.
A prominent meteorite crater, locally termed Goat Paddock Pocket, can be found in the northern part of the station near the confluence of the O'Donnell and Margaret Rivers in an area called "Bluebush."
Since then, the original combined property has been subdivided into four separate stations, with Louisa Downs restored to its initial proprietors, the Cox family.
The Cox family
The Cox family has strong historical ties to Louisa Downs as early settlers in this region. William "Billy" Cox passed away at Louisa in 1944 and is interred west of the homestead. He had moved from Noonkanbah Station during the 1930s accompanied by his son Fred.
Freddie Cox lived most of his life on Louisa Downs and died in 1991; he was laid to rest beside his father.
Notable events
In 1934, during a widespread influenza outbreak in the Kimberley, Louisa recorded 14 Aboriginal deaths, contributing to a total of 129 fatalities across the region.
Leslie Arthur Schubert took ownership of Louisa Downs and Bohemia Downs in December 1966 and introduced aerial mustering at Louisa in 1967. This method utilized Cessna 182 aircraft alongside smaller groups of Aboriginal stockmen. Communication between pilots and ground teams depended on unreliable 27 MHz citizens band radios that frequently malfunctioned due to harsh conditions. As a workaround, handwritten messages on toilet paper were dropped to white overseers because many Aboriginal stockmen were unable to read or write.
This aerial mustering innovation greatly increased wild cattle round-ups, enabling selective culling of inferior bulls and enhancing herd genetics. Access to the Bluebush area was initially limited to horseback or foot travel along the Margaret River bed, with supplies transported via pack horses. In 1968, Schubert surveyed and established a rugged track through the ranges and cleared a 300-metre airstrip near where the Margaret and O'Donnell Rivers converge. This development cut travel time from the homestead to less than 20 minutes by plane, replacing what had been a five-hour Land Rover trip.
Goat Paddock Pocket functioned as a key holding yard for annual cattle musters. In 1966, a flow monitoring station was installed by the Public Works Department on the Margaret River at its entry point into the Mueller Ranges; ongoing discussions have considered utilizing water from the Fitzroy River for supply needs in southwestern Western Australia.
In 2005, under funding from the Gallop government’s Regional Airports Development Scheme, which supported upgrades to meet Royal Flying Doctor Service standards, the Department of Housing and Works received AUD 281,300 for improvements to airstrips and facilities at Louisa Downs along with other Kimberley sites.
A fatal helicopter accident occurred near Louisa’s boundary with Margaret River station in 2012 when the aircraft collided with a rock face before submerging in water, resulting in the death of its sole pilot.
See also
Further reading
- Schubert, Leslie A. (1994), Wiping Out the Tracks - The Northern Odyssey, Blue Bay Publishing, Perth, W.A.
- Schubert, Leslie A. (1996), Kimberly Dreams & Realities, Blue Bay Publishing, Perth, W.A.