AUSTRALIAN STATIONS OF ENORMOUS AREA

Shannon News, 3 August 1928, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN STATIONS OF ENORMOUS AREA

FARMING IN THE NORTH. We in New Zealand realise the immensity of. Australia in many respects, but there are some of Us, perhaps, who are not aware of the vast area of some of the cattle and, sheep properties in that continent. To us a station of 150,000 acres appears extraordinarily large. Such a property shrinks to almost a paddock area in comparison with the cattle rims in Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, and Northern Territory.

It, is necessary to adjust oni> 's ideas of relative size when contemplating some of these prcporites. -. In tlie west of Queensland there are eat tie. properlies of. 2000 square miles and more, Even these properties'shrink to diminutive proportions when compared . with the vast 'cattle runs on the Barklay Tableland and other districts in the Northern Territory, where a prcpeily of 5000 square miles is reckoned a small, one. Brunnette Down Station cm the Barklay Table land is 30,(500 square miles in extent, carrying' anything up ro 60.000 cattle and is about the same area as Belgium.

Alexandria, a neighbouring property, is ] 2,000 square miles in area, twice the 'size of Yorkshire, the largest countv in England. Th'.s station, vast as it is, is exceeded in area by the Victoria River Down's, property,, which has a total area'.of 13.002 square miles and carries, in good seasons, up to 1.00.000 CUUlev ....

The natural waters —rivers, creeks surd walcr holes—begin to giye out about three months after cessation of the monsoon rains, which fall between IVbruarv .and March. In oi'der .to water the stock in the dryer season sub-artes'.au bores, which draw water at depths van ir.g from 100 to 80 feet are resorted to.

Isolated as they arc these, vast sta tions in North Australia carry great stocks of food, clothing ami the necessary supplies for the use of the wlute and black employees.. It is obvious that only wealthy individuals or com panics can venture to operate in the far north.