Cobra Station facts for kids
Cobra Station is a very large sheep farm, also called a pastoral lease, located in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. It's a huge area of land used for raising sheep.
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Discovering Cobra Station's Location
Cobra Station is found in a remote part of Western Australia. It is about 164 kilometers (102 miles) southwest of a town called Paraburdoo. It's also about 334 kilometers (208 miles) northwest of Meekatharra.
The station shares its borders with Mount Augustus National Park and other large farms like Mount Augustus Station. The property follows the Thomas River. Its shape on a map looks a bit like a snake, which is how it got its unusual name, "Cobra"!
The Land at Cobra Station
The land at Cobra Station is quite rugged. It includes parts of the Gascoyne Range and the Centipede Range. This means there are steep hills and stony areas. You can also find narrow valleys between the hills. These valleys are surrounded by gently sloping plains.
Most of the property is covered by low woodlands. There are also large areas of Mulga shrubland. Mulga is a type of acacia tree that grows well in dry parts of Australia.
A Look Back: Cobra Station's History
Cobra Station has a long and interesting history, with many different families owning it over the years.
Early Days and First Owners
The station was first started in 1906 by James Comtesse. He used to own a hotel called the Euranna Hotel, which is now known as the Bangemall Inn. James and his wife, Mary, managed the farm until 1925. When Mary passed away, James buried her near the Cobra homestead.
In 1913, the area faced a drought, which is a long period without rain. This meant the farm only had about 2,000 sheep. Luckily, good rains came early the next year. However, the property became very dry again during the winter. Wild dogs also often attacked the sheep.
New Owners and Growing Flocks
Cobra Station was put up for sale in 1927. It was bought by Jack Edney, who then sold it again in 1933. Alfred Ray Cream took over Cobra the same year. Sadly, his mother, Mary Jane Cream, died shortly after and was also buried at the station. By 1934, Cobra Station was home to a much larger flock of 8,515 sheep.
In 1938, Alfred Ray Cream decided to sell the property. It was a huge farm, about 156,197 acres (63,207 hectares) in size. The station was divided into 10 large areas called paddocks. It had a shearing shed with four stands for shearing sheep. There were also nine wells, two bores, and one natural spring for water. At that time, it had 880 sheep, but it was advertised as being able to hold about 9,000 sheep.
Changes and Growth
Percy and Elise Fitzgerald bought Cobra Station early in 1939. The lease changed hands again in 1948 to Benjamin Wilson. Mr. Wilson bought the Bangemall Inn, which was no longer a hotel. He turned it into the main house for the station, called the homestead. The old homestead then became the living quarters for the shearers.
Mr. Wilson married Madeliene Potts. She was the widow of the former manager of the nearby Mount Augustus Station. Mrs. Wilson helped a lot with developing the beautiful garden at the Bangemall homestead. During this time, the size of the station grew three times bigger! New land for grazing cattle was added to the south of Mount Augustus. It eventually stretched far south of the Thomas River.
Recent History and Tourism
Bob and Maxine Bozanich took over the lease in 1967. They sold it in 1978 to Ken and Jill Gurney. The Gurneys encouraged the Lands Department to set aside 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) around Mount Augustus. This area was eventually declared a National Park.
The property was sold again in 1980 to a group from Perth. This group, led by Peter Eaton, wanted to start a tourism business at Cobra. Dennis and Alexa Lang then bought Cobra in 1989. They used the homestead as a hotel for visitors and brought more animals back to the property.
The Homesteads of Cobra Station
Cobra Station has two important homestead buildings, each with its own story.
The Current Homestead: Bangemall Inn
The main house at Cobra Station today is the Bangemall Inn. It was built way back in 1896 by Percy Aycliffe. Back then, it was known as the Euranna Hotel. It served as an inn for travelers going to and from the Bangemall goldfields. In 1910, it was given its current name, Bangemall Inn.
Since 1949, this building has been used as the homestead for Cobra Station. The National Trust of Australia recognized its importance in 1982. It is one of the few old wayside hotels left in the North West region. The building has walls made of adobe, which is a type of sun-dried mud brick. It has a hipped corrugated iron roof that extends down to a verandah. The verandah is supported by posts made from bush timber. The building originally had four rooms, including a stone kitchen. These rooms were connected by a central hallway. It is surrounded by a well-established garden.
The Original Homestead
The very first homestead at Cobra Station was built in 1906. It is about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) west of the current Bangemall Inn. This original building was also added to the heritage list in 2013. It is a simple stone building with a corrugated iron roof. Some of the bush timber posts from its verandah on the western side are still standing. The graves of both Mary Comtesse and Mary Jane Cream are located close by.
Images for kids
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The ruins of the original Cobra Station Homestead in 2020
