Jump to content

Anna Creek Station

Coordinates: 28°53′35″S 136°10′10″E / 28.89306°S 136.16944°E / -28.89306; 136.16944
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Anna Creek station)

28°53′35″S 136°10′10″E / 28.89306°S 136.16944°E / -28.89306; 136.16944

Anna Creek Station is located in South Australia
Anna Creek Station
Anna Creek Station
class=notpageimage|
Location in South Australia[1]
Anna Creek main homestead

Anna Creek Station is a pastoral lease located on arid land in the Australian state of South Australia, operating as a cattle station. At 23,677 km2 (9,142 sq mi; 5,851,000 acres), it is the world's largest working cattle station (or ranch). Established after British colonisation of South Australia on the lands of the Arabana people, the lease was first purchased from the colonial government in 1863. As of 2025 it is owned by the Williams family.

History

[edit]

The property lies on the traditional lands of the Arabana people.[2] A creek after which the property took its name, was given the name "Anna Creek" by Peter Warburton in 1858, after a daughter of pastoralist John Chambers.[3][4]

In January 1863, Julius Jeffreys, John Warren, and William Bakewell purchased the lease, and established the homestead at Strangways Springs. There was serious drought between 1864 and 1866, when the property was stocked with 7,300 sheep. Owing to constant attacks by dingoes, the owners switched to farming cattle instead.[5][3]

In 1872, the station relocated to its current location.[3] John Hogarth managed the property until 1893, when his younger brother Thomas took over. In 1913 George Warren became manager for a year, followed by his younger brother, Francis. In 1918 the lease was sold in 1918 to Malcolm Reid and Leslie Taylor.[3]

In 1935, Kidman Holdings, which had acquired Stuart Creek Station in 1919 and The Peake Station in 1902, bought Anna Creek Station, which became the headquarters of the whole pastoral block. The McLean and Nunn families managed the properties together, in a partnership that lasted until 2016.[3]

In 2012, a Federal Court determination gave the Arabana people native title to over 68,000 km2 (26,000 sq mi), including Anna Creek and other pastoral leases, along with Lake Eyre. The claim had been lodged on 16 January 1998 by Arabana elder Reg Dodd, and included Elliot Price Conservation Park, Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre National Park, and Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park, along with the towns of Marree, William Creek, and Oodnadatta.[6][7][8]

The land occupying the extent of the Anna Creek Station pastoral lease was gazetted as a locality by the Government of South Australia on 26 April 2013 with the name "Anna Creek".[9][10]

Trail bikes used for mustering, Anna Creek main homestead

In mid-April 2016, it was announced that the South Australian cattle company Williams Cattle Company was to acquire Anna Creek from S. Kidman & Co, subject to approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board of the sale of the remainder of the Kidman holding to a consortium led by the Chinese group Dakang Australia Holdings.[11] Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison blocked the sale later that month, in the national interest. Anna Creek is located in a weapons testing range. Morrison had previously blocked the sale of Kidman to related Chinese company, Pengxin Group.[12]

In December 2016, Anna Creek was finally sold to the South Australian family business Williams Cattle Company, at an estimated $16 million, while the rest of the Kidman empire was sold to a consortium comprising mining magnate Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, owning 67%, and the Chinese company Shanghai CRED, owning 33%.[13][14] With this purchase, Williams Cattle Co. doubled their total area held under pastoral leases.[13] The Williams family planned to invest heavily in new water facilities and trucking yards in order to facilitate an increase in the number of stock carried on the station.[13] As of October 2025 it is still in their hands.[3]

In October 2025, it was alleged that the owners had built illegal dams on rivers and waterholes on the property between 2017 and 2025, including a dam wall around 2 km (1.2 mi) long across Balta-Baltana Creek. The earthworks contravened the Aboriginal Heritage Act, the Natural Resources Management Act and the Landscape South Australia Act. The Arabana Corporation are the native title holders of the land,[2] and the native title, among other things, had given the Arabana people the right "to share and exchange the subsistence and other traditional resources [and] to use the natural water resources of the determination area".[7]

Description

[edit]

Anna Creek Station has an area of 23,677 km2 (9,142 sq mi; 5,851,000 acres),[15] making it the biggest in the world.[2][16] It is 8,000 km2 (2,000,000 acres; 3,100 sq mi) larger than its nearest rival, Alexandria Station in the country's Northern Territory. It is over seven times the size of the United States' biggest ranch, King Ranch in Texas, which is 3,340 km2 (830,000 acres; 1,290 sq mi).[5]

The nearest township is William Creek (which is surrounded by the Anna Creek station), but the nearest town for freight is Coober Pedy.[citation needed]

The station is arid pastoral country;[13] the annual rainfall is cited on the website as 140 mm (5.5 in).[3]

Buildings and communications

[edit]

There is a main homestead at Anna Creek and an outstation at The Peake. Although the homestead is very isolated, they have satellite telecommunications including television and internet. As of 2006 the Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run delivered mail twice a week and can bring a small amount of freight.[17]

Once there was a large workforce of stockmen at Anna Creek, who mustered the cattle on horses. Today light aircraft are used for spotting animals which are rounded up by stockmen riding motorbikes, requiring a much smaller workforce.[citation needed]

Heritage-listed buildings

[edit]
The Peake Telegraph Station ruins

The Peake ruins, including those of a former telegraph office, cemetery, mine site, and lime kilns at the outstation are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[18]

Strangways Springs telegraph station ruins

The Strangways Springs Telegraph Station ruins on the station are also listed on the Heritage Register.[19]

Stock numbers in the 2000s

[edit]

Despite its size, in 2007 Anna Creek Station was carrying only 1,500 head of cattle due to the 2000s drought. In 2008, when the station was owned by S. Kidman and Co Ltd, there were eight full-time staff and they were destocking all their cattle.[20] Following floods in 2010, conditions improved and the station restocked. It had 10,000 head of cattle in May 2011[21] and is capable of carrying up to 16,500 head of cattle during a good season.[20] As of March 2025 the number of cattle on the station is reported as 17,000.[3]

They raise Santa Gertrudis cattle as they are suitable for hot, dry climates.[citation needed]

Date Cattle Staff Source
September 2002 16,000 ? [22]
May 2003 16,500 19 [23]
July 2005 13,000 ? [24]
November 2006 4,000 ? [25]
June 2008 1,500 8 [20]
May 2011 11,000 ? [26]
August 2012 17,000 17 [27]
November 2020 9,500 Up to 11 [28]
March 2025 17,000 Up to 11 [3]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Search result for " Anna Creek (homestead)" (Record no SA0001571)". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c MacLennan, Leah (29 October 2025). "Anna Creek Station owners charged for alleged illegal dams". ABC News. Archived from the original on 30 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Anna Creek". Williams Cattle Company. 28 November 2024. Archived from the original on 16 March 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  4. ^ "Names of Railway Stations". The Register. Adelaide. 24 March 1915. p. 4 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ a b "Anna Creek Station". Wrightsair. Archived from the original on 1 March 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  6. ^ "Native title granted over Lake Eyre". SBS News. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Arabana Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC". PBC. 16 January 1998. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  8. ^ Hull, David. "Native Title Newsletter, December 2012, p=5-6" (PDF). Retrieved 31 October 2025 – via Austlii.
  9. ^ "Search result for " Anna Creek (LOCB)" (Record no SA0067008) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  10. ^ Proposed Locality Boundaries for Pastoral Areas (PDF) (Map). Government of South Australia. 31 October 2012. Rack Plan 951. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  11. ^ "S. Kidman and Co enters deal for a foreign takeover of the majority of the iconic Australian cattle company". ABC Rural. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Kidman sale blocked". ABC Rural. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d "South Australian family prepares to take over world's largest cattle station". ABC Rural. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  14. ^ "S Kidman and Co: Scott Morrison approves sale of cattle empire to Gina Rinehart, Chinese company". ABC News. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  15. ^ Owen, Michael (16 December 2016). "Anna Creek cattle station sale settles". The Australian. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  16. ^ Mercer, Phil (9 June 2008). "Cattle farms lure Australia women". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Mail Run Tour". Archived from the original on 3 May 2006.
  18. ^ "The Peake Ruins (Dwelling, Telegraph Office, Cemetery, Mine Site & Lime Kilns Site)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Former Strangways Springs Telegraph Station (Ruin)". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  20. ^ a b c "Creek Dries Up". ABC. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  21. ^ "S Kidman and Co". S Kidman and Co. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  22. ^ ABC Dimensions In Time: William Creek Hotel Archived 7 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine. Issued 9 September 2002. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  23. ^ ABC Rural - SA Country Hour: Anna Creek - Still the biggest station in the world Archived 28 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Issued 21 May 2003. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  24. ^ ABC Rural - SA Country Hour: Big, big Anna Creek Station Archived 8 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Issued 14 July 2005. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  25. ^ ABC News: Dry forces cattle sell-off Archived 26 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Issued 3 November 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  26. ^ "S Kidman and Co". S Kidman and Co. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  27. ^ ABC Landline: The Big One Archived 24 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Issued 12 August 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  28. ^ "Anna Creek". Williams Cattle Company. 11 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anna_Creek_Station&oldid=1324390514"