Roebuck Plains Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Headquarters | Broome , Australia |
Area served | Kimberley region, Western Australia |
Key people | Pat Dodson (chairman of Nyamba Buru Yawuru Corporation) |
| Products | Cattle |
| Owner | Nyamba Buru Yawuru Corporation (lease holder) |
| Parent | Indigenous Land Corporation (operational management) |
Roebuck Plains Station is a pastoral lease situated near Broome within the Kimberley region of Western Australia, ranking among the leases closest to the town. The designation also applies to a nearby roadhouse located along the Great Northern Highway. The term "Plains" refers to the wetlands found adjacent to Roebuck Bay.
Description
Positioned approximately eastward of Broome, this station encompasses of fertile marine floodplain and sandy pindan terrain, supporting a herd of roughly 20,000 cattle.
History
The Yawuru people are acknowledged as the traditional custodians of the land. Initially developed by the pearling enterprise Streeter and Company, the station was established to provide meat supplies to Broome, including operating a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of the town.
In 1949, the homestead was destroyed by fire caused by a malfunctioning kerosene refrigerator. By 1953, ownership transferred to the Harris family, who then managed a stock of 10,000 cattle on the property.
Roebuck Plains was acquired by the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) in 1999. Exclusive native title rights for the Yawuru were legally affirmed by the Federal Court in 2006. Subsequently, in 2014, the ILC handed over the lease to Nyamba Buru Yawuru Corporation; although chairman Pat Dodson accepted it, operational management remained with the ILC. The station and its neighboring commercial cattle yards hold an estimated value near AUD 15 million.
During the wet season of 2018, heavy rainfall totaling led to severe flooding at the station, necessitating the relocation of about 6,000 cattle and inflicting considerable damage on fencing and infrastructure.