South Galway Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Founder | Patrick Durack, Michael Durack, John Costello |
| Headquarters | Windorah (approximate) , Australia |
Area served | Queensland's Channel Country |
| Products | Cattle |
| Owner | Australian Agricultural Company |
South Galway Station, previously known as Galway Downs and also referred to as South Galway, operates as a cattle station under a pastoral lease.
Description
Situated approximately southwest of Windorah and east of Birdsville within Queensland's Channel Country, this property spans and manages a herd of about 13,000 cattle. The Australian Agricultural Company owns the station, which is positioned along Cooper Creek. Nearly half of the terrain is composed of flooded river plains, with one-quarter being undulating downs, while the rest consists of spinifex, red sand, mulga, and hilly landscapes.
History
South Galway was founded in 1873 by Patrick and Michael Durack together with John Costello, marking it as one of the earliest establishments in the area. By 1878, the Durack brothers put the property on the market; at that time, it encompassed roughly and supported close to 3,000 cattle. Around 1884, ownership passed to the Queensland Cooperative Pastoral Company, which later offered it for sale in 1886 during liquidation along with other holdings like Thylungra and Buckingham Downs.
The station faced prolonged drought from 1887 until 1901. In 1937, the Schmidt family became its proprietors. A rat infestation in 1945 severely damaged feed resources throughout Cooper country from Windorah to Durham Downs. In 1951, a pilot from Trans Australia Airlines was hired to airlift cattle endangered by flooding; this operation saved all but 300 head and preserved stock valued at £10,000. Later that same year, bushfires consumed over , requiring South Galway stockmen to work for five days to control the fire.