Moolawatana Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Founder | William Warwick |
| Headquarters | Lyndhurst , Australia |
Area served | South Australia |
| Products | Cattle |
Moolawatana Station, often referred to simply as Moolawatana, operates as a cattle station under a pastoral lease in South Australia.
Situated roughly east of Lyndhurst, South Australia and west of Tibooburra, New South Wales, the property spans approximately . It has earned the nickname Skeleton Block due to successive reductions in its land area. Unlike most stations in South Australia, Moolawatana extends predominantly in an east-west direction, with its northern edge bordering the Dingo Fence. The station encompasses the northeastern extremity of the Flinders Ranges and their adjacent outwash plains, featuring the seasonal Hamilton Creek flowing through its terrain.
History
Founded in 1853 by William Warwick alongside Holowiliena Station, Moolawatana has seen numerous changes in ownership and operations. A fire in 1896 resulted in the loss of 120–130 wool bales and several wagons, while heavy rainfall in 1903 led to flooding along Hamilton Creek.
In 1935, the station was passed in at auction for £13,500 under the stewardship of Neil McGilp and his sons, who had maintained the lease since 1880. Later that year, A.J. and P.A. McBride of the Wilgena Pastoral Company acquired it for £15,000, including a stock of 6,700 sheep and 20 horses. At that time, Moolawatana covered an area of , sharing a boundary with Wooltana Station.
The McBride family sold the property in 1947 to the Leslie Brothers from Mount Fitton Station for £22,500. By 1963, Moolawatana incorporated the leases of Mount Freeling, Mount Fitton, and Yudnamutana, amounting to approximately . Subsequent transactions reduced its size to around , before it expanded again by obtaining the Woolatchi lease (~) in 1982.
A pivotal change occurred in 1993 when Moolawatana shifted from sheep grazing to cattle production due to frequent dog attacks; over 900 dogs were eliminated that year, including 98 within the station’s fencing. The station’s climate history includes favorable rains in 1997 followed by drought conditions; severe thunderstorms accompanied by locust infestations in 2001; and additional rainfall recorded in 2008.
On 26 April 2013, the Government of South Australia officially designated the land under this pastoral lease as the locality named Moolawatana.
Proposed wind and solar hub
In November 2021, Kallis Energy Investments announced plans for the Moolawatana Renewable Hydrogen Project near Moolawatana Station. This development aims to establish a wind and solar power facility to generate electricity for producing green hydrogen, which would then be transported via pipeline to Port Bonython on Spencer Gulf for export.