Quinyambie
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Founded | before 1886 |
| Founder | H. T. Whitty |
| Headquarters | Near Broken Hill and Blinman , Australia |
Area served | South Australia |
| Products | Cattle |
| Owner | Mutooroo Pastoral Company (since 2010) |
Quinyambie—also known as Quinyambie Station—is a pastoral lease functioning as a cattle station.
Description
Positioned approximately north of Broken Hill and northeast of Blinman within South Australia, Quinyambie ranks as the state's third-largest station. The property was once under the ownership of the pastoralist Sidney Kidman. Its name originates from an aboriginal term meaning excreta.
History
Quinyambie was established prior to 1886 and initially belonged to H. T. Whitty, who managed sheep and moved 6,070 head in 1887. Protective fencing enabled the property to avoid the rabbit infestation of 1895, although it confronted low rainfall levels that led to government rent relief.
In 1916, Sidney Kidman purchased Quinyambie, which then covered about . Despite a prosperous season that year, the area subsequently suffered several years of drought. By 1923, the station acquired over 4,500 cattle from Naryilco to replenish stock, constituting one of the largest cattle transactions at that time. However, by 1924, dingo attacks had drastically diminished sheep numbers from flocks that once reached up to 20,000.
The homestead was lost to fire in 1945. In 1950, after pleuro-pneumonia was detected at nearby Lake Frome Station, Quinyambie and neighboring properties were quarantined due to an estimated infection of 2,000 cattle. Additionally, the station endured a drought lasting four years from 1950 through 1954.
Quinyambie was offered for sale in June 2010 with a cattle herd numbering 1,430; its carrying capacity ranges up to approximately 11,000 head, with an average around 9,000. The estate includes more than of prime grazing land. In July 2010, it was acquired by Mutooroo Pastoral Company—owned by the Morgan and Wells families—who also operate the adjacent Mulyungarie Station running between 3,000 and 4,000 cattle and sharing a boundary fence. The transaction price was estimated between $8 million and $10 million.
In April 2013, the Government of South Australia officially recognized the area encompassed by the Quinyambie pastoral lease as the locality named 'Quinyambie'.