Yeelirrie Station
Encyclopedia
Yeelirrie is an East Murchison pastoral lease or sheep station
on State Crown land
, located approximately 80 km south west of Wiluna
, in the Mid West region of Western Australia
. The nearest population centre to Yeelirrie homestead is Mount Keith Mine village, 45 km to the east. The regional centre is Meekatharra, located 180 km to the west.
Yeelirrie lies in Western Australia's Mulga Zone rangeland. The landform is composed of a raised plateau that has eroded to form granitic breakaways and the alluvial plains of the surrounding valleys. Acacia
woodlands (dominated by Acacia aneura) and shrublands with spinifex
grasslands (Triodia basedowii) dominate the vegetation.
The area is located toward the inland extreme of two separate weather systems. The main influence on the climate is the east-west belt of high pressure systems which lies over the southern portions of Australia throughout the year. During summer this belt of high
pressure systems moves southward and the climate at Yeelirrie becomes influenced by the northern monsoonal system. Rainfall in the area is variable and unpredictable. It occurs either with the passage of winter cold fronts or as a result of local thunderstorms during summer. Average rainfall is 208 mm annually, with a recorded range between 43 mm and 505 mm. Annual extreme temperatures range between 45°C and -5°C.
Yeelirrie Station covers an area of 3750 square kilometres (926,644.4 acre). The station was originally established in 1924 by Val Finch. In 1950, 7179 sheep were shorn for 169 bales (approx. 25,000 kg). In 1957 the neighboring Altona pastoral lease was incorporated into the station. Yeelirrie is now owned and operated by BHP Billiton
. From 1974 to 1986 the station was largely destocked. A small number of sheep were run. These were recently removed due to increasing incidence of wild dog
and dingo
attacks.
Yeelirrie is the site of the Yeelirrie Uranium Deposit
. The deposit was discovered in 1970 by Western Mining Corporation, now part of BHP Billiton
. The project is one of the three most advanced uranium mining projects in Western Australia and is scheduled for production by 2014.
In the local Aboriginal
language, the word Yeelirrie or Youlirrie means "place of death".
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...
on State 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....
, located approximately 80 km south west of Wiluna
Wiluna, Western Australia
Wiluna is a complex town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is situated on the edge of the Western Desert at the gateway to the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway. It is the service centre of the local area for the local Aboriginal people, the pastoral industry, mining, and...
, in the Mid West region 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...
. The nearest population centre to Yeelirrie homestead is Mount Keith Mine village, 45 km to the east. The regional centre is Meekatharra, located 180 km to the west.
Yeelirrie lies in Western Australia's Mulga Zone rangeland. The landform is composed of a raised plateau that has eroded to form granitic breakaways and the alluvial plains of the surrounding valleys. Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
woodlands (dominated by Acacia aneura) and shrublands with spinifex
Spinifex
Spinifex may refer to:* Spinifex , a genus of grass which is indigenous to the coastal areas of Australasia and Indonesia* Triodia , a hummock grass of arid Australia, covering twenty percent of the Australian continent ** Spinifex resin* Spinifex people, or Pila Nguru, an Australian...
grasslands (Triodia basedowii) dominate the vegetation.
The area is located toward the inland extreme of two separate weather systems. The main influence on the climate is the east-west belt of high pressure systems which lies over the southern portions of Australia throughout the year. During summer this belt of high
pressure systems moves southward and the climate at Yeelirrie becomes influenced by the northern monsoonal system. Rainfall in the area is variable and unpredictable. It occurs either with the passage of winter cold fronts or as a result of local thunderstorms during summer. Average rainfall is 208 mm annually, with a recorded range between 43 mm and 505 mm. Annual extreme temperatures range between 45°C and -5°C.
Yeelirrie Station covers an area of 3750 square kilometres (926,644.4 acre). The station was originally established in 1924 by Val Finch. In 1950, 7179 sheep were shorn for 169 bales (approx. 25,000 kg). In 1957 the neighboring Altona pastoral lease was incorporated into the station. Yeelirrie is now owned and operated by BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
. From 1974 to 1986 the station was largely destocked. A small number of sheep were run. These were recently removed due to increasing incidence of wild dog
Wild dog
Wild dog is a term broadly applied to canines which are either not domesticated or not owned. It may also refer to:* Feral dogs, domestic dogs living as wild animals....
and dingo
Dingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
attacks.
Yeelirrie is the site of the Yeelirrie Uranium Deposit
Yeelirrie uranium project
The Yeelirrie uranium project is a proposed uranium mining project, located approximately 70 km south west of Wiluna, in the Mid West region of Western Australia....
. The deposit was discovered in 1970 by Western Mining Corporation, now part of BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
. The project is one of the three most advanced uranium mining projects in Western Australia and is scheduled for production by 2014.
In the local Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
language, the word Yeelirrie or Youlirrie means "place of death".