Boolardy
Encyclopedia
Boolardy Station is a remote sheep station
in the north-west of Western Australia
, about 194 km north-north-east of Pindar
and 200 km west-south-west of Meekatharra
. It is within the Shire of Murchison
and situated on pastoral lease
no. 3114/406 (Crown lease 146/1966). The area of the lease is 3467.48 square kilometres (1,338.8 sq mi).
An area of 266 square kilometres (103 sq mi) within the station is composed of reserve
s and crown land
. The soil has a low level of erosion
with 87% of the land being described as nil or minor. The perenniel vegetation condition is fair with 39% of vegetation cover being described as poor or very poor.
The property is considered an important pastoral property in the Murchison region, with the Boolardy Homestead used as offices of the Murchison Road Board for many years. It is currently leased by the Richards family and is operated as a single enterprise incorporating the nearby properties of Murgoo, Nookawarra and Ngatta Pool.
The various stone buildings of Boolardy Station were classified by the National Trust of Australia
(W.A.) on 2 September 1985.
and Kenneth Brown
explored the region in 1854
, noting the rich grassy plains of Boolardy and importantly, the Ngatta water hole. However, the potential of the area was not appreciated until 1873 when John Perks and Edward Wittenoom
explored the area north of the water hole while searching for sheep grazing country. The water hole is about 10 km south of the main homestead.
Perks and Wittenoom subsequently took up the initial lease and the first cattle and sheep were taken overland to Nookawarra in 1876, but as the site lacked suitable feed for horses, they moved to the Boolardy site.
The lease was later associated with various members of the pioneering Wittenoom and Lefroy families, particularly Edward and Frank Wittenoom
and Langlois Lefroy.
which is intended to have a collecting area of approximately one square kilometre.
The two shortlisted sites are in the Karoo
area of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa
, and Boolardy. The Boolardy site is also the home of the Murchison Widefield Array
and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder
(ASKAP).
The final decision on the SKA site will be made in around 2011.
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
in the north-west of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, about 194 km north-north-east of Pindar
Pindar, Western Australia
Pindar is a small town in the Mid West Region of Western Australia. It is located about 30 km east of MullewaIn 1894, the Northern Railway from Geraldton to Mullewa was opened, and four year later was extended to Cue...
and 200 km west-south-west of Meekatharra
Meekatharra, Western Australia
Meekatharra is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Meekatharra is an Australian Aboriginal word meaning 'place of little water'. At the 2006 census, Meekatharra had a population of 798, with 44.0% being Aboriginal....
. It is within the Shire of Murchison
Shire of Murchison
The Shire of Murchison is a large agricultural region in the central part of Western Australia, and is the only shire in Australia without a town. At the 2006 Census, it was also the least populous Local Government Area in Western Australia.-Description:...
and situated on pastoral lease
Pastoral lease
A pastoral lease is Crown land that government allows to be leased, generally for the purposes of farming.-Australia:Pastoral leases exist in both Australian commonwealth law and state jurisdictions....
no. 3114/406 (Crown lease 146/1966). The area of the lease is 3467.48 square kilometres (1,338.8 sq mi).
An area of 266 square kilometres (103 sq mi) within the station is composed of reserve
Reserve
-Economic:* Official gold reserves, held by central banks as a store of value* Foreign exchange reserves, the foreign currency deposits held by central banks and monetary authorities...
s and crown land
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
. The soil has a low level of erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
with 87% of the land being described as nil or minor. The perenniel vegetation condition is fair with 39% of vegetation cover being described as poor or very poor.
The property is considered an important pastoral property in the Murchison region, with the Boolardy Homestead used as offices of the Murchison Road Board for many years. It is currently leased by the Richards family and is operated as a single enterprise incorporating the nearby properties of Murgoo, Nookawarra and Ngatta Pool.
The various stone buildings of Boolardy Station were classified by the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
(W.A.) on 2 September 1985.
History
Robert AustinRobert Austin
Robert Austin led the Austin expedition of 1854, one of the first European inland explanations of Western Australia with Kenneth Brown. They explored Geraldton, Mount Magnet, and the Murchison River area.-References:...
and Kenneth Brown
Kenneth Brown (pastoralist)
Kenneth Brown was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. He was hanged for murdering his wife.Kenneth Brown was born in England in 1837. The eldest son of Thomas Brown, he later became the older brother of Maitland Brown. In 1840, The Brown family emigrated to Western Australia,...
explored the region in 1854
Austin expedition of 1854
The Austin expedition of 1854 was an exploring expedition undertaken in Western Australia by Robert Austin in 1854. Other members of the party included Kenneth Brown....
, noting the rich grassy plains of Boolardy and importantly, the Ngatta water hole. However, the potential of the area was not appreciated until 1873 when John Perks and Edward Wittenoom
Edward Wittenoom
Sir Edward Charles Wittenoom KCMG was an Australian politician, member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for thirty four years.- Early life :...
explored the area north of the water hole while searching for sheep grazing country. The water hole is about 10 km south of the main homestead.
Perks and Wittenoom subsequently took up the initial lease and the first cattle and sheep were taken overland to Nookawarra in 1876, but as the site lacked suitable feed for horses, they moved to the Boolardy site.
The lease was later associated with various members of the pioneering Wittenoom and Lefroy families, particularly Edward and Frank Wittenoom
Frank Wittenoom
Francis Frederick Burdett Wittenoom was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia...
and Langlois Lefroy.
Square Kilometre Array
An international consortium is working on the design and location of a proposed radio telescopeRadio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
which is intended to have a collecting area of approximately one square kilometre.
The two shortlisted sites are in the Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
area of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Boolardy. The Boolardy site is also the home of the Murchison Widefield Array
Murchison Widefield Array
The Murchison Widefield Array is a joint project between MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Raman Research Institute and an Australian consortium of universities, to build a low-frequency radio array operating in the frequency range 80-300 MHz...
and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder
Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder
The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, or ASKAP, is CSIRO’s new radio telescope currently under construction at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Mid West region of Western Australia...
(ASKAP).
The final decision on the SKA site will be made in around 2011.