Wollogorang Station
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cattle station |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Founder | Chisholm family |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Northern Territory and Queensland border region |
| Products | Cattle |
Wollogorang Station operates as a cattle station under a pastoral lease situated along the boundary between the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Location
The homestead is positioned approximately northwest of Doomadgee and west of Burketown. It overlooks Settlement Creek and features about of shoreline along the Gulf of Carpentaria. Adjacent properties include the Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary, Calvert Hills Station, the Gulf of Carpentaria coastline, the Queensland border, and the Waanyi-Garawa Aboriginal Land Trust.
Description
Covering an area of , Wollogorang supports a cattle herd exceeding 40,000 head. Important waterways traversing the property comprise Branch Creek, Settlement Creek, Gold Creek, and Running Creek. The station also encompasses the Wollogorang Important Bird Area.
History
The term Wollogorang translates to Happy running waters in the local Indigenous tongue, a nod to Settlement Creek. Founded in 1881 by the Chisholm family from Wollogorang House near Goulburn, NSW, it stands out for its uninterrupted habitation since 1883. In 1895, the Anning family purchased the station for £3000 following a violent episode involving the prior manager. Copper deposits were identified on the land in 1899.
Ownership shifted several times: after the Annings sold it circa 1906; American A.L. Standberry acquired it in 1966; then Paul Zlotkowski took ownership in the late 1960s. Zlotkowski briefly transferred ownership to businessman Bela Csidei but regained control after Csidei's 1978 arrest related to drug charges.
In 2007, a fatality occurred involving a Filipino worker under dangerous conditions at Wollogorang, resulting in a fine imposed on the company for workplace safety violations.
Paul Zlotkowski placed Wollogorang on the market for AUD 40 million in 2008 but completed its sale only in 2015 to Chinese entrepreneur Xingfa Ma. The station was subsequently acquired by the McMillan family from Cloncurry in 2020.