Mulga Downs Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture, Mining (land use) |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Headquarters | Near Wittenoom , Australia |
Area served | Pilbara, Western Australia |
| Products | Cattle, formerly sheep and wool |
| Owner | Lang Hancock (historically), Hancock Prospecting (mining interests) |
Mulga Downs Station is a pastoral lease situated in Western Australia, originally established as a sheep station and currently functioning as a cattle station. It is positioned northeast of Tom Price and southwest of Marble Bar within the Pilbara area.
Encompassing an area of , the property includes sections of the Fortescue River floodplain and the Chichester Range, with its homestead located near the northern perimeter, approximately north of the abandoned town of Wittenoom. The vast majority of the land is subject to granted or pending mining tenements, notably containing the Cloud Break mine operated by Fortescue Metals Group within its boundaries.
In 1891, ownership of Mulga Downs was held by the Lockyer brothers, who relocated 3,000 sheep, 300 cattle, and 300 horses from their Cooya Pooya property to fatten stock. Following George Lockyer’s death in 1893, the station was put on the market in 1894, described as covering , stocked with 3,200 sheep, 300 cattle, and 230 horses. The property featured 30 wells, extensive fencing, and multiple paddocks, characterized as excellent grazing land.
Burges and Sons sold Mulga Downs to the Union Bank of Australia in 1894 for £6,000. By 1898, it was listed for auction again, spanning nearly with frontage along the Fortescue River; at that time only were stocked with 18,000 sheep and 300 horses.
In the early twentieth century, Mulga Downs was acquired by Frank Wittenoom. Together with partner S.L. Burges, they encountered severe dingo infestations through 1908 that nearly forced abandonment. They transitioned from sheep to cattle in 1909 but returned to sheep farming by 1910, maintaining a flock of 2,700 sheep by 1911 while improving fencing and water infrastructure. The station experienced decline until George Hancock took over management in 1915; his efforts earned him a 25% ownership share. Hancock relinquished his interest in Ashburton Downs to concentrate on Mulga Downs. In 1935, his son Lang Hancock assumed management at age 26 and later discovered asbestos at Wittenoom Gorge along with iron ore deposits in the Hamersley Range.
A notable event occurred in 1947 when Lang Hancock piloted a plane to rescue the station manager’s son during flood isolation after other medical flights were deemed too risky. Mulga Downs continued wool production and sheep grazing through 1954 before fully converting to cattle operations.
By 1967 Mulga Downs extended over , remaining under ownership by Lang Hancock and his sister.
In 2006 bushfires affected more than around the station. By 2009 approximately 6,500 branded cattle alongside about 1,200 feral cattle grazed on Mulga Downs, supporting an annual turn-off near 3,500 head.
In 2013 Hancock Prospecting applied for approval to develop an iron ore project featuring a pit approximately long situated about from the homestead, indicating intensified mining activity on this traditionally pastoral estate.