Stapleton Station (pastoral lease)
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle farming |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Founder | Harry Sargent |
| Headquarters | Near Katherine , Australia |
Area served | Northern Territory |
Key people | Winnie Sargent, Asa Townsend, Ray Townsend, Henry Townsend, Adam Coffey |
| Products | Cattle |
Stapleton Station is a pastoral lease situated in the Northern Territory of Australia, functioning as a cattle station approximately west of Katherine.
The property was purchased by Harry Sargent in 1923 with the initial plan to cultivate cotton, but he later transitioned to tin mining and cattle grazing, expanding the leased area to around . The station's prosperity improved during wartime due to increased population and market demand. Following Sargent's passing, most family members departed, leaving his daughter Winnie as the primary custodian of Stapleton.
In 1961, Asa and Ray Townsend, who had relocated from Florida in 1956, took ownership of Stapleton. The Townsends made significant advancements to the station; their satellite property, La Belle Station, used for breeding and finishing cattle, was sold in 2001.
After disposing of Tanumbirini Station, the Townsends returned to manage Stapleton in 2007. Originally, the station was part of a more extensive family-owned property that had been divided.
In 2011, the Townsends sold Mathison Station for less than 2.1 million to Pancho Beef; although it had capacity for 5,500 cattle, only 1,800 were present at the time of sale. Meanwhile, Stapleton did not reach its reserve price at auction, which was set at 3.2 million.
Henry Townsend introduced a crossbreeding initiative in 2012 by importing Nguni embryos from Africa aimed at enhancing meat tenderness.
A bushfire in 2013 destroyed about of pasture following a flare ignited during a Defence Force training exercise at the nearby Delamere Air Weapons Range. Station manager Adam Coffey and others pursued compensation for losses related to feed.
By 2014, this pastoral lease spanning remained available for sale, listed alongside at least fifteen other pastoral properties within the Northern Territory.