Natal Downs
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle farming |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Headquarters | Charters Towers (approximate) , Australia |
Area served | Queensland |
| Products | Cattle |
Natal Downs Station operates as a cattle station under a pastoral lease in the state of Queensland.
Positioned roughly south of Charters Towers and westward of Collinsville, the station shares boundaries with Longton and Narellan Stations along the banks of the Cape River.
Spanning an area of , the property supports a livestock capacity near 12,000 cattle. Its landscape features expansive black soil plains dominated by Mitchell and buffel grasses, interspersed with open woodland and flood-prone coolabah flats, segmented into 29 distinct paddocks.
The lease was first claimed in September 1862 by Kellet and Moffatt for £100 covering 200 square miles; however, the claim was relinquished due to non-payment. In 1863, Kellett reapplied for a larger area of 264 square miles at £130.40, soon transferring the licence to John De Villiers Lamb and Charles Parbury. By March 1866, ownership had transferred to William Chatfield Jnr. and Michael Miles.
In 1873, Bundock and Hays acquired the station along with 10,800 sheep and 2,300 cattle for £13,250. They promptly disposed of a portion of the land and all sheep. Subsequently managed by C.W. Bundock and his partner P Salmon, the property changed hands in 1937 following Bundock’s death. At that time, its size was approximately 605 square miles (1,566 km²), when it was purchased by Edward Hill from Wyandra.
By 2008, Natal Downs together with Longton and Narellan stations—held by the Camm Agricultural Group since the early 1980s—were offered for sale as a package. Combined, these holdings encompass nearly one million acres supporting a herd numbering 33,000 cattle. The entire grouping was acquired in 2017 by Rural Funds Group for $53 million and subsequently leased back to the Camm Group under a ten-year management agreement.