Argyle Downs
Encyclopedia
Argyle Downs is a pastoral lease and cattle
station
located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south east of Kununurra
in the Kimberley region near the border of Western Australia
and Northern Territory
. It is operated by the Consolidated Pastoral Company
.
The station occupies an area of 1000 sqkm and is a mix of black soil plains and red basalt
country with the Ord River
and Lake Argyle
situated on the western boundary. Currently the property annually turns off 7,500 head of cattle for live export to the south East Asia market. Stock horse
s are also bred and raised on the property for use on other stations.
The area was settled by Patrick
and his brother Michael Durack in 1882 who arrived in the area after trekking across the north of the continent from their property on Coopers Creek in Queensland
where they left from in 1879 along with 7250 breeding cattle and 200 horses. The 3000 mile journey of cattle to stock Argyle Downs and Ivanhoe station is the longest of its type ever recorded.
The Duracks exported the cattle from the station through the port of Wyndham
to markets as fas as South Africa and North America.
The homestead was constructed in 1895 by the Durack family and was renowned as one of the main social gathering places in the east Kimberley. Built from limestone
blocks and mortar made from crushed termite mounds the homestead had to be dismantled to make way for Lake Argyle
in the 1970s. The homestead was reopened in 1979 and now acts as a museum in its present location along the shore of the lake.
A sizable proportion of the lease was resumed by the Government in the 1950s for the Ord River Irrigation Scheme.
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
station
Station (Australian agriculture)
Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...
located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south east of Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
in the Kimberley region near the border of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
. It is operated by the Consolidated Pastoral Company
Consolidated Pastoral Company
The Consolidated Pastoral Company is a large, privately owned, Australian cattle company which operates 18 cattle stations covering over 57,000 km2, managing more than 350,000 cattle, in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland...
.
The station occupies an area of 1000 sqkm and is a mix of black soil plains and red basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
country with the Ord River
Ord River
The Ord River is a 320-kilometre-long river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was named in honour of Harry Ord, Governor of Western Australia from 1877 to 1880....
and Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle is Australia's second largest artificial lake by volume. It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley town of Kununurra...
situated on the western boundary. Currently the property annually turns off 7,500 head of cattle for live export to the south East Asia market. Stock horse
Stock horse
A Stock horse is a horse of a type that is well suited for working with livestock, particularly cattle. Such horses are riding horsescharacterized by agility, quickness, and powerful hindquarters...
s are also bred and raised on the property for use on other stations.
The area was settled by Patrick
Patrick Durack
Patrick Durack was a pastoral pioneer.His family were struggling tenant farmers from Magherareagh near Scarriff in County Clare, Ireland who moved from Ireland to New South Wales in 1853. Two months after arriving in New South Wales, his father, Michael was accidentally killed...
and his brother Michael Durack in 1882 who arrived in the area after trekking across the north of the continent from their property on Coopers Creek in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
where they left from in 1879 along with 7250 breeding cattle and 200 horses. The 3000 mile journey of cattle to stock Argyle Downs and Ivanhoe station is the longest of its type ever recorded.
The Duracks exported the cattle from the station through the port of Wyndham
Wyndham, Western Australia
Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a...
to markets as fas as South Africa and North America.
The homestead was constructed in 1895 by the Durack family and was renowned as one of the main social gathering places in the east Kimberley. Built from limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
blocks and mortar made from crushed termite mounds the homestead had to be dismantled to make way for Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle is Australia's second largest artificial lake by volume. It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley town of Kununurra...
in the 1970s. The homestead was reopened in 1979 and now acts as a museum in its present location along the shore of the lake.
A sizable proportion of the lease was resumed by the Government in the 1950s for the Ord River Irrigation Scheme.