28°11′53″S 120°26′20″E / 28.198°S 120.439°E
Pinnacles Station is a pastoral lease that once operated as a cattle station and now operates as a sheep station in Western Australia.
It is situated approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south west of Leinster and 116 kilometres (72 mi) north west of Leonora in the Goldfields-Esperance region. The station surrounds the now abandoned town of Lawlers;[1] it shares boundaries with Leinster Downs Station to the north,[2] as well as Dandarraga, Sturt Meadows and Ida Valley Stations to the south.[1]
Pinnacles was established in 1896 by Messrs Routledge, Morris and Willis.[3] Droughts followed but in 1909 it experienced the best season since 1896, with wildflowers blooming across the grazing lands and 300 cattle being overlanded down from the Kimberley region.[3] The property was put up for auction in 1920 when it occupied an area of 755,100 acres (305,578 ha) and was stocked with approximately 1,100 head of cattle.[4] Still owned by Routledge and Co. it had 18 wells, a homestead, approximately 25 acres (10 ha) of miners' cottages and special leases and five town blocks.[1]
It was acquired by Mr. A. Geerling, who continued to breed cattle on the run and make improvements to make it ready to stock with sheep.[5] By 1925 the property had been acquired by Hawker, Chomley and Co., who were expanding neighbouring Sturt Meadows Station and were stocking both with sheep from the eastern states.[6] By the following year it had changed hands again, Messrs Manifold, Black and McKenna purchasing Pinnacles for £30,000.[7] The company formed by the group, Pinnacles Proprietary Limited, appointed a new manager named McKinnon to run the 760,000-acre (307,561 ha) station, which had recently had a new homestead constructed and was building a new shearing shed. Other improvements included 55 equipped wells, 200 miles (322 km) of fencing and a telephone line. The property was stocked with 7,000 sheep and 2,000 head of cattle. It was estimated the run would be capable of supporting a flock of 40,000 sheep.[8] In 1928 the flock had grown to 10,000 sheep.[9]
An aerodrome had been built on the property at some time prior to 1939. In the same year the area was flooded following heavy rains.[10] For the next four years the area was struck by drought.[11] The McKinnon family eventually acquired Pinnacles and retained possession until 1987 when the family sold it.[12]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Advertising". Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 3 October 1920. p. 9 Section: First Section. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Advertising". Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 5 September 1920. p. 9 Section: First Section. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Rabbit shooting at Lalwers". Western Mail. Perth: National Library of Australia. 9 October 1909. p. 8. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Advertising". Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 22 August 1920. p. 9 Section: First Section. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Lawlers". Western Argus. Kalgoorlie, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 20 November 1923. p. 5. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Country News". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 December 1925. p. 4. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "The Golden Fleece". Kalgoorlie Miner. Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 16 December 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Gold and Sheep". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 June 1927. p. 12. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "The Pastoralist". Western Mail. Perth: National Library of Australia. 31 May 1928. p. 44. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "North Country Floods". Kalgoorlie Miner. Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 19 January 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Record drought". Kalgoorlie Miner. Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 18 November 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Pinnacles Station" (PDF). J S Battye Library. 2003. Retrieved 29 June 2014.