Ban Ban Springs Station

Ban Ban Springs Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Northern Territory.

Ban Ban Springs
Location in the Northern Territory

Location

It is situated about 46 kilometres (29 mi) south east of Adelaide River and 125 kilometres (78 mi) south east of Darwin. The property shares a boundary with other pastoral leases including Mount Ringwood and McKinlay River to the north, Bridge Creek to the west, Douglas to the south and Mary River to the East.[1] The Stuart Highway is found 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the homestead[2] and cuts through the eastern side of the property. Several watercourses flow through the property including Hayes Creek, McCallum Creek and the McKinlay river.[1] The Margaret River also cuts through the property and the Mary River forms the eastern boundary.[3]

Description

Currently occupying an area of 1,873 square kilometres (723 sq mi) with a carrying capacity of approximately 12,000 head of cattle,[2] it has an typical annual rainfall of 1,200 millimetres (47 in)[4] to 1,600 millimetres (63 in).[3]

The land systems are a mixture of plains interspersed with creek beds bordered by flood out country and boulder strewn ridges. The plains vary from sediment rich soils to gravelly areas with the ridges mostly being gently undulating with areas of steep shale and dolerite. Areas of black soil can be found around the extensive floodplains for the Margaret, Mary and Mackinley rivers and the springs and other low-lying areas. The soils tend to be nutrient poor.[4] The plains are typically open savanna woodlands which contain the usual overstorey of trees and shrubs over kangaroo grass, but with annual and perennial sorghums.[5]

History

The station was first registered in the 1880s.[6]

Robert and Phoebe Farrar acquired the property in 1925, drove a mob of cattle in and chose a site for a homestead.[7] In 1935 Phoebe Farrar was charged by a bull and gored while branding cattle. It took two days for a doctor to reach the station and she was later transported to Darwin for an operation on her broken hip. She survived and returned home soon after where she continued riding until she and Robert retired in about 1942 and turned the property over to their son, Harry.[8]

In 1948 Norman and Winifred Whatley and their three sons arrived at the station from England. They soon took over a neighbouring property, Hayes Creek Station (now Douglas Station), and established a store and inn along the Stuart Highway. The family remained in the area until 1959.[9]

Tom Starr managed the property from 1984 to 1998.[4]

In 1998 Ban Ban springs was owned by Gunter Gschwenter, the Tyrolian born entrepreneur who owned the Britz rental business.[10]

The property was placed on the market in 2010,[11] and in 2014 the property was still on the market along with at least 15 others.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Northern Territory Pastoral Properties" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  2. "Ban Ban Springs and Scott Creek Station Northern Territory for sale". Collier International. 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. "Water Source". Ban Ban Springs Station. 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  4. Tom Starr (1999). "Fire management at Ban Ban Springs, NT" (PDF). Tropical Savannah CRC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  5. Tom Starr (2011). "Fire management at Ban Ban Springs station". EnviroNorth. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  6. "Ban Ban Springs Station". Ban Ban Springs Station. 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  7. Lenore Coltheart (1996). "Farrar, Phoebe Elizabeth (1868–1960)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  8. "Katherin Notes". Centralian Advocate. Alice Springs, Northern Territory: National Library of Australia. 30 April 1948. p. 2. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  9. "Hayes Creek - History". BIG4 Hayes Creek Holiday Park. 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  10. Erwin Chlanda (9 December 1998). "Controversy, enthusiasm over new tourist commission board members". Alice Springs News. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  11. "Ban Ban Station, NT, on market". Stock journal. Fairfax Media. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  12. James Nason (28 March 2014). "NT Kimberley Property -15 pastoral holdings for sale". Beef Central. Nascon Media Pty Ltd. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
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