Corunna Downs Station facts for kids

Corunna Downs Station is a huge farm in Western Australia. It was once a sheep station, meaning it raised sheep. Now, it's a cattle station, raising cattle instead.

This large property is about 34 kilometres (21 mi) south of Marble Bar and 180 km (112 mi) south east of Port Hedland. It's located in a region called the Pilbara. Several rivers and creeks flow through the land, like the Coongan River. These waterways have pools of water that stay even when it's dry. The land itself is mostly flat and covered in a type of spiky grass called spinifex.

How Corunna Downs Started

The land for Corunna Downs Station was first claimed in July 1886. Two men, John Withnell and William McLean, were among the first to start a farm here.

Later, in 1887, the Mackay brothers joined with Donald and Roderick Louden to set up their own part of the station. Their section was made up of three large areas, each about 20,000 acres (8,094 ha).

In 1890, George Dudley and Alfred Howden Drake-Brockman also took up land nearby. Howden Drake-Brockman chose the area that became Corunna Downs. He named it after the Battle of Corunna, a famous battle from history. The farms of the Withnells and Mackays were later managed by a company called Dalgety & Company. The Brockman brothers helped run these farms.

From Sheep to Cattle

Corunna Downs Station was very busy raising sheep for many years. In 1916, the farm produced over 147 large bales of wool. A few years later, in 1920, they produced 105 bales. This shows how important sheep farming was to the station.

In 1924, a man named Ernest Samuel Foulkes-Taylor bought the property. At that time, Corunna Downs was made up of 13 separate land leases. He combined them into one big farm. The total size of the property was about 305,593-acre (123,669 ha).

When Foulkes-Taylor took over in 1924, Corunna Downs was still a working sheep station. It had about 20,000 sheep! But it also had other animals, including 350 cattle, 125 horses, 175 donkeys, and 8 camels.

Over time, the station changed from mainly raising sheep to raising cattle. By 2015, Corunna Downs was about 214,698 hectares (530,530 acres) in size. It was home to about 4,800 cattle, mostly shorthorn and droughtmaster breeds.

Corunna Downs in a Book

Corunna Downs Station is mentioned in a famous book called My Place. This book was written by Sally Morgan. Her grandmother, Daisy, was born at Corunna Downs. This shows how the station has a special place in the history of many families.