Murnpeowie Explained

Murnpeowie or Murnpeowie Station is a pastoral lease in outback South Australia. The pastoral lease once operated as a sheep station but now operates as a cattle station. The land occupying the extent of the pastoral lease was gazetted as a locality by the Government of South Australia on 26 April 2013, with the name "Murnpeowie".[1] [2]

It is located approximately 96km (60miles) east of Marree and 102km (63miles) north east of Lyndhurst. The area is composed of gibber plains that support dense stands Mitchell grass and saltbush.

The unusual name is Aboriginal in origin and means place of the bronzewing pigeon.

Leases in the area were taken up by John Baker in 1857, with more added through the 1860s. Baker was surrounded by leases held by Thomas Elder. When Baker died in 1872, Elder consolidated all of the runs into a single entity of approximately 4000sqmi named Blanchewater Horse Station, with a carrying capacity of 20,000 head.[3] The homestead was constructed in the 1880s, the woolshed in 1890. Both buildings had stone walls and round iron roofs. By 1894, the station was shearing 106,000 sheep, yielding 2,400 bales of wool.[3] In 1909, a total of 120,000 sheep were shorn at Murnpeowie.[4] The Blanchewater Homestead Ruins are listed on both the South Australian Heritage Register and the former Register of the National Estate.[5] [6] In 1910, boundary riders at the station discovered a meteorite. The 25200NaN0 stone was thought to be a rock until the men struck it with a hammer and were amazed by the bell-like sound they heard. A small sample was sent to the School of Mines for analysis and once confirmed the meteorite was donated.[7]

In 1920, the property was carrying 90,000 sheep. By 1924, the station was approximately 4000sqmi in size and was stocked with about 70,000 sheep.[8] By 1935 the 3500sqmi was carrying 60,000 sheep.[9]

The area was struck by drought and then huge dust storms in 1952.[10] The property was purchased in 1998 by David and Nell Brook, who have stocked the property with Poll-Hereford cattle. The family holdings are certified organic and include Adria Downs and Cordillo Downs stations, encompassing a total area of 30000km2.[11]

IBRA biogeographic subregion

Murnpeowie is also the name of an IBRA subregion (STP03), an area of 2910385ha in the Stony Plains IBRA biogeographic region.[12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Search result for " Murnpeowie (LOCB)" (Record no SA0067144) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)" . Property Location Browser . Government of South Australia . 4 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161012010923/http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/ . 12 October 2016 . dead .
  2. Proposed Locality Boundaries for Pastoral Areas . Rack Plan 951 . Government of South Australia . 31 October 2012 . 4 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180219151102/https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/7018/Rack_Plan_951_Map.pdf . 19 February 2018 . dead .
  3. Book: Premier & the Pastoralist. James Waite Morgan. 2011. Wakefield Press. 9781862549722.
  4. News: Around the Campfire. . . Queensland . 26 July 1952 . 7 November 2014 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
  5. Web site: Blanchewater Homestead (Ruin) . Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources . South Australian Heritage Register . 13 February 2016.
  6. Web site: Blanchewater Homestead Complex ruins and St Mary Pool, Strzelecki Tk, Murnpeowie via Lyndhurst, SA, Australia . Department of the Environment . Register of the National Estate . 13 February 2016.
  7. News: The Murnpeowie Meteorite . . Adelaide . 6 April 1910 . 7 November 2014 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
  8. News: Per Camel Back . . New South Wales . 20 June 1924 . 4 November 2014 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
  9. News: State's Sahara in Far North . . Adelaide. 4 April 1935 . 4 November 2014 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  10. News: Dust — Scourge Of The Drought Lands. . . Adelaide . 19 January 1952 . 7 November 2014 . 12 . National Library of Australia.
  11. Web site: David & Nell Brook. 3 November 2014. World Hereford Council. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131110074528/http://www.herefords.com/pdfs/hf6.pdf. 10 November 2013. dmy-all.
  12. Commonwealth Government of Australia (2012) Web site: Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia Version 7 (IBRA 7). 5 March 2018.