Pastoral leases in Western Australia are increasingly known as "stations", and more particular – as either sheep stations or cattle stations. They are usually found in country that is designated as rangeland. In Western Australia, all leases are up for renewal or surrender in 2015.
Contents
Some 527 pastoral leases exist in Western Australia.
Stations/pastoral leases are a significant part of Western Australian history. At different stages enquiries, pleas for extensions of lease times and royal commissions have been made into the industry.
Nearly 90 million hectares or 36% of the area of Western Australia are covered by these stations. Despite the very low population involved in general management of stations, significant numbers of seasonal workers (shearers and others) have moved through the sheep stations to shear for wool. Also more recently stations have been used as holding places of feral goats for export and meat production.
The significant distances between stations and points of transport have seen droving or "stock routes" created in the past, such as the Canning Stock Route. Also the rail route to Meekatharra can be seen as a means of reaching into the station country to facilitate stock transport.
Administration
The current administration of leases is conducted by the Pastoral Lands Board of Western Australia which succeeded the Pastoral Board after changes to the Land Act of 1933 and the new Land Administration Act of 1998. Further current policies and details of governance are updated within publications and websites administered by the Pastoral Lands Board.
Access
In 2006 the then constituted Pastoral Lands Board within the Department of Planning and Infrastructure produced a 24-page pamphlet, which although appearing to be dealing with Outback issues, deals mainly with the process of accessing pastoral leases in Western Australia.
List
The list that follows is from various sources – abandoned, amalgamated, relinquished, and historical (no longer current) leases may be in the list.
The list includes the local government, and regional locations – for more specific locating of the stations, the Travellers Atlas of Western Australia map identifies all current pastoral leases.