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Address Talandji WA 6710, Australia | ||
Chopper ride minderoo station
Minderoo Station, commonly referred to as Minderoo, is a pastoral lease that once operated as a sheep station but now operates as a cattle station in Western Australia.
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Description
It is situated about 41 kilometres (25 mi) south of Onslow and 138 kilometres (86 mi) west of Pannawonica in the Pilbara region. The property occupies an area of 2,400 square kilometres (927 sq mi) and is traversed by the Ashburton River; the property has an estimated 50 miles (80 km) double frontage to the river. The property spreads out from the river forming a vast plain of sand and clay. The word Minderoo is Aboriginal in origin and means "place of permanent and clean water".
Forrest family
The property was established in 1878 when the Forrest brothers secured the leasehold for the property. David Forrest was the initial manager, and the property owned by his brothers, John and Alexander Forrest along with Septimus Burt. Minderoo was owned by the Forrest family until it was sold in 1998 by Donald Forrest due to relentless drought and debt. Donald's son, the mining magnate Andrew Forrest, whose early years were spent as a jackaroo at Minderoo, bought the property in 2009 for A$12 million.
History
Once the Forrest and Burt syndicate had acquired the lease, David Forrest overlanded 2,000 sheep to Minderoo. By 1884 the property was supporting a flock of 16,000 sheep, approximately 800 cattle and 80 horses.
In 1888 a fire destroyed the kitchen and its contents along with one side of the homestead; David Forrest was injured during the blaze. By 1891 the size of the flock was estimated to be 50,000 sheep, cattle and horses. The partnership of Forrest, Burt and Company was dissolved in 1901. The Forrests were now sole owners of Minderoo and had appointed Arthur Bailey as the station manager. In 1906 Minderoo was carrying a flock of approximately 33,000 sheep.
Employees at Minderoo felt an air shock and heard a rumble of the first British nuclear tests on Monte Bello Island in 1952. The station was about 90 miles (145 km) from the blast site. In 1954 Jack Reynolds was hired to cull feral cattle from the property. Reynolds then slaughtered and butchered the cattle and hired an Anson aircraft to deliver over 600 pounds (272 kg) of beef to Carnarvon.
After buying back Minderoo in 2009, Andrew Forrest hired Phil Clark to manage the property. Clark reduced the herd size from 11,000 to 3,500 head of cattle to give the land a chance to regenerate. A weir was also installed on the Ashburton to guarantee water supply and assist in regeneration of the river.
The Forrests introduced Droughtmaster, Red Angus, Ultra Black Angus bulls onto Minderoo to build a composite herd for the fine dining market. By 2015 they also announced that they would be seeking organic certification for the property.