Innamincka Station Explained

Innamincka Station, often called simply Innamincka, is a pastoral lease in the Australian state of South Australia. It operates as a cattle station. It is located about 40NaN0 north-east of the small township of the same name. 230NaN0 west of the Queensland border, and 2460NaN0 south-east of Birdsville. the station – the second largest in South Australia after Anna Creek station – occupied an area of 135520NaN0 and was owned by the pastoral company, S. Kidman & Co.^[1]

The name of the station derives from two Aboriginal words meaning your shelter and your home.^[2]

History

Innamincka Station was established in 1872 by Robert Bostock as the first station and permanent settlement along Cooper Creek.^[3] The station expanded until it covered more than 15000sqkm. In 1881, when the station and stock were sold to William Campbell for £60,000, it supported a herd of 8,000 cattle.^[4]

A man who became an Australian cattle baron, Sidney Kidman, bought Innamincka in 1908 from the trustees of the estate of William Campbell, when the station covered more than 4000sqmi. He immediately sold 250 bullocks in the Adelaide yards, which were much admired for their "breeding and quality".^[5] Suffering financially after bad drought, Kidman sold the property in 1918;^[6] he later repurchased it.

In 1954, it covered an area of 9175sqmi.^[7]

In 1981, it covered an area of 6180sqmi.^[8]

In the late 1950s and the 1960s, the Australian energy company, Santos Limited, conducted a drilling program for oil and natural gas in the Cooper Basin, including at localities near Innamincka; the first commercial gas was discovered in 1963. Eventually 145 gas fields and 76 oil fields came into production, feeding into production facilities at Moomba, 700NaN0 to the south-west.^[9]

Floods and drought are characteristics of Australian outback localities. Those that affected Innamincka included the following:

• The Cooper Creek inundated the station in 1891.^[10]
• The locality was struck by a severe drought in 1902.^[11]
• The homestead was washed away during the floods of 1906.
• Between 1914 and 1916 the area was struck by drought, killing about 10,000 cattle at Innamincka.^{[6] [12]}
• During floods in 1939, water levels came within 10feet of the 1906 mark.^[13]
• The entire area was struck by drought in 1946, causing many cattle deaths and destocking of properties.^[14]
• The area suffered severe flooding in March 1949 when it was hit with record rainfall. More than 21inches of rain fell in four weeks – as much as would normally fall in four years.^[15] The area was described as a "vast inland sea", with Cooper Creek running at more than 15miles wide.^[16]

• In 1953 the property only received 2inches of rain and only 1.5inches in 1954.^[7]

The station had an excellent season in 1981; the country was reported as having "masses of yellow and white wildflowers".^[8]

See also

• List of ranches and stations
• List of the largest stations in Australia

Notes and References

1. Web site: Innamincka. S. Kidman and Co. . 2012 . 4 January 2013.
2. Web site: Innamincka and Cooper Creek state heritage area. 8 November 2010. 7 June 2013. Government of South Australia.
3. Book: Reardon, Mitch . The Australian Geographic Book of Corner Country . 1995 . . Terrey Hills, New South Wales . 1-86276-012-8 . 91–108 .
4. Web site: Innamincka . Nic . Klaassen . 2021 . Flinders Ranges Research . 27 October 2021 .
5. News: Br S. Kidman buys Innamincka Station. . Adelaide . 2 June 1908 . 8 January 2013 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
6. Book: Kidman The Forgotten King. Jill Bowen. 2010. HarperCollins. 9780730445173.
7. News: Out Among the People. . . Adelaide . 6 December 1954 . 8 January 2013 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
8. News: The vast channel country where the postman arrives by plane!. . . 2 December 1981 . 8 January 2013 . 32 . National Library of Australia.
9. Web site: Santos: Out Activities: Cooper Basin (overview) . 18 May 2010 . August 2004 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20041022185047/http://www.santos.com/Content.aspx?p=217 . 22 October 2004 . dead .
10. News: Floods at Cooper's Creek . . Adelaide . 21 April 1906 . 8 January 2013 . 40 . National Library of Australia.
11. News: Queensland Cattle Industry . . Adelaide . 31 January 1946 . 8 January 2013 . 9 . National Library of Australia.
12. Kidman also lost 65,000 more on his other properties through the channel country, including Diamantina Lakes, Durham Downs, Glengyle and Sandringham Stations.
13. News: New food supply . . Broken Hill, New South Wales . 18 March 1949 . 8 January 2013 . 1 . National Library of Australia.
14. News: Drought Closes On South-West Queensland. . . Wilcannia, New South Wales . 15 November 1946 . 9 October 2014 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
15. News: Rain in Inland . . New South Wales . 26 March 1949 . 8 January 2013 . 4 . National Library of Australia.
16. News: Deluge of rin . . Perth . 26 March 1949 . 8 January 2013 . 3 . National Library of Australia.