Yardea
| Company type | Pastoral lease |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | before 1865 |
| Headquarters | Gawler Ranges , Australia |
| Products | Sheep |
Yardea Station is a pastoral lease situated in South Australia functioning as a sheep station and currently forms part of the Gawler Ranges National Park. In 1904, Paney Station was merged into Yardea.
Positioned approximately northeast of Minnipa and west of Iron Knob within the Gawler Ranges, Yardea holds an important place in the history of pastoral expansion in the region.
History
The station lies on the ancestral territories of the Kokatha, Wirangu, and Barngarla peoples, who historically depended on natural water sources like freshwater springs and rock holes in the area.
Established prior to 1865 as the earliest pastoral lease in the Gawler Ranges, Yardea was soon followed by the development of Hiltaba and Paney Stations. At its height, it supported between 80,000 and 90,000 sheep. The homestead buildings date back to the 1860s.
During 1871–72, a police camp was established at Yardea, with a stone structure built in 1873 to accommodate two troopers. After police forces withdrew in 1885, this building was repurposed as a post office and telegraph repeater station once a direct telegraph connection to Western Australia was established in 1903.
By 1881, ownership of Yardea belonged to Main, Sells and Company, who sold livestock including 750 cattle and 7,000 wethers. The following year, the station covered an area of and supported a flock of 54,000 sheep when it was put up for auction alongside Wilgena Station.
The lease lapsed in the early 1890s, resulting in abandonment until pastoralists Andrew Tennant and James Moseley restored operations in 1904. Moseley incorporated Paney Station into Yardea during this period.
By 1916, after extensive enhancements had been made, A.J. and P.A. McBride purchased the station—spanning —for £72,000 with a stock of 40,000 sheep. A decade later in 1926, the McBrides divided Yardea into five parcels, selling three blocks to Harry Bouily and two to T.H. MacKay & Son from Thurlga Station.
21st century
The locations of the former police camp and telegraph station at Yardea are situated just a few hundred metres east of the main homestead. The water source known as Yardea water lies between these two sites; originally an Indigenous freshwater spring until the 1860s, it continues to serve as the primary water supply for the station.
In 2000, the State Government purchased the segment of Yardea formerly known as Paney Station and incorporated it into the Gawler Ranges National Park.
Locality
On 26 April 2013, the area covering the Yardea pastoral lease was officially designated as the locality named "Yardea."
Solar eclipses
During this century, Yardea will witness four total solar eclipses occurring on 4 December 2002, 25 November 2030, 26 December 2038, and 31 May 2068.