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| Binerah Downs |
Binerah Downs Downs was the Angells family property on the Queensland border. Originally part of the Olive Downs Pastoral Company, the lease of 126,300 acres was taken up by my Grandfather, William and his brother John sometime in the 1920's. Given that Alexander was part of the family business but not included on the lease, it is safe to suggest that Binerah Downs came into the hands of the Angell family after his (Alexander's) death in 1928.
It remained in the family until it was sold to the NSW Government as part of the Sturt National Park in 1976.
Location
Binerah Downs was a Sheep Station in northwest New South Wales situated about 710km north-northeast of Adelaide. Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is about 1060km east-southeast of Binerah Downs.
Binerah Downs is at an elevation of approximately 156m above sea level.
Binerah Downs was one of the northern most homesteads in New South Wales. The nearest ocean is the Southern Ocean about 520km southwest of Binerah Downs.
With an annual rainfall of around 200mm, drought was common place as was the heat of summer and associated duststorms. The topography of the country is made up of the gibbers of the Sturt Stony Desert to the East and the rolling red sandhills of the Strezlecki Desert to the West. Natural vegetation on the property was Salbush, Mulga and Spinifex.
The western boundary of the property included Fort Grey Lake which more often than not was devoid of water. The lake was also the home of Sturts Explorer Tree. As you travelled east you moved over the rolling sandhills where the vegetation consisted mainly of Mulga trees and saltbush, into the gibber plains where the homestead was built. A few kilometres further east you came across the range where McDonalds Peak was the major landmark. Beyond the ranges was the eastern boundary with Olive Downs station and here you could be over awed with the Jump-Up mesa which rises 150 metres above the surrounding plains.
Binerah Downs was primarily a sheep grazing property and Fine Wool Merino sheep were grazed on the station.
With such dry conditions, the carrying capacity during good seasons was around 1 head per 25 acres and during drought that would become anything from 1 to 50 plus depending on the severity of the drought at the time.
Top wool prices in the late 1950's were around the 3/- (3 shillings) per pound, or in today's money, around 60c a kilo.
This is in comparison to todays average market value of 830 cents per kilo for AAA clean wool.
Binerah Downs today forms part of the Sturt National Park. The Park itself is made up of five former pastoral leases.
All seven members of my generation lived on Binerah Downs until we moved to Broken Hill in 1958.
Binerah Downs was bounded to the north by a portion of the world's longest fence, the Great Dingo Fence. It is one of the longest structures on the planet, and the world's longest fence. It would eventually stretch 5,320 km (3,306 mi) from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of miles of arid country to the Eyre peninsula on the Great Australian Bight. Originally constructed during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland.
The radio call sign was 8KU Binerah Downs.
Located in what is now
the Sturt National Park |
A aerial taken from 1000 ft showing the house dam in perspective to the homestead.
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A view of the woolshed on Binerah Downs taken from the back.
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A view of the woolshed on Binerah Downs taken from the front.
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A view of the sheepyards at the woolshed on Binerah Downs.
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A view of sheep being showered with sheep dip.
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A view of sheep grazing on Binerah Downs.
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A view of the basin from the homestead. The basin is a natural deposit of gypsum.
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A photograph of Middle Bore on Binerah Downs.
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A view of the ruins which remained after NPWS demolished the original homestead.
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A view of the ruins which remained after NPWS demolished the station workshop.
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An aerial view of the
homestead |
The Homestead |
The Great Dingo Fence
which forms the northern boundary of the station. The fence is 180 cm (5.9 ft) high made of wire mesh, and extends for 30 cm (1.0 ft) underground. The fence line on both sides is cleared to a 5 m (5.5 yd) width. Star pickets are spaced every 9 m (9.8 yd). At first it was unsuccessfully used to try and keep out rabbits, with the fence built originally as a rabbit proof fence in 1884. It was more successful at keeping out pigs, kangaroos, emus and brumbies. In 1914 it was converted into a dog-proof fence. |
A view looking
from the Homestead towards McDonalds Peak
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A map showing the location of a number of bores in relationship to the homestead.
The grey section above the line in the map indicates that area is Queensland.
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