Stuart Creek Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Founder | Alfred Barker and John Chambers |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | South Australia |
| Products | Cattle |
| Owner | BHP |
Stuart Creek Station is a pastoral lease situated in the remote regions of South Australia, which has evolved from operating as a sheep station to functioning primarily as a cattle station.
Description
Positioned approximately north of Roxby Downs and northwest of Lyndhurst, this property shares its northern boundary with Lake Eyre South. To the east lie Billa Kalina Station and Finniss Springs Aboriginal lands, while to the south it adjoins Mulagaria and Andamooka Stations. The seasonal Stuart Creek traverses the area.
The landscape features include sand dunes, breakaways, mound springs, and extensive gibber plains. The lease, currently under the ownership of BHP, encompasses roughly .
History
The explorer John McDouall Stuart was the first European to traverse this area in 1858, initially naming the watercourse Chambers Creek before it was later renamed Stuart Creek. In 1862, Stuart sold the leasehold to Alfred Barker and John Chambers. Barker undertook stocking efforts but experienced significant losses during drought periods in the late 1860s and early 1870s. The lease was subsequently acquired by John Howard Angus in 1870.
A notable event occurred in 1910 when W. Rose successfully droved 1,260 cattle along a route from Newcastle Waters Station to Stuart Creek, setting a record for droving at that time. By 1911, ownership had transferred to the Willowie Pastoral Company with management by Mr Paxton; the station then covered approximately , featuring about 23 bores installed.
Although offered for sale at auction in 1916 at , the property did not find a buyer. In 1918, the Kidman family purchased Stuart Creek and retained ownership for around eighty years. Originally functioning as an outstation of Anna Creek Station, it was divided in 1998: the northern segment of was reintegrated into Anna Creek, while Western Mining Corporation took over the larger remaining portion of the lease.