Beltana (or Beltana Station) is a

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lease ...

in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

which operates as a

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

. Established in 1854, it now covers an area of on land located between

Lake Torrens Lake Torrens (Kuyani: ''Ngarndamukia'') is a large ephemeral, normally endorheic salt lake in central South Australia. After sufficiently extreme rainfall events, the lake flows out through the Pirie-Torrens corridor to the Spencer Gulf. Isl ...

in the west and the

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...

in the east, about north of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

History

The area was first established for

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The animal ...

by John Haimes in 1854 and then surveyed by

John McDouall Stuart John McDouall Stuart (7 September 18155 June 1866), often referred to as simply "McDouall Stuart", was a Scottish explorer and one of the most accomplished of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to tra ...

in 1855. In 1862 the property was acquired by

Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 1915) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in Adelaide, South Australia. He was a partner in Elder Smith and Company from 1863 (now now Elders Limited). Early life and education Smit ...

along with the flock of 17,705 sheep that the property was supporting.

Thomas Elder Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...

took over lease no. 370 in 1862 forming Beltana Station and until the early 20th century there were as many as 60 living on the station. Beltana Pastoral run for many years was the head station of the Beltana Pastoral Co. The station ran livestock, and a camel breeding programme for work on the

Australian Overland Telegraph Line The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a telegraphy system to send messages over long distances using cables and electric signals. It spanned between Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia, and Adelaide, the capital o ...

between

and Darwin, exploring and its own use. It provided living quarters for the "Afghan" cameleers who managed the camels.

21st century

On 26 April 2013, the land occupying the appropriate extent of the Beltana pastoral lease was gazetted by the Government of South Australia as a locality under the name Beltana Station. The word "station" was added to the locality’s name to distinguish it from the bounded locality and the government town of

Beltana Beltana is a town north of Adelaide, South Australia. Beltana is known for continuing to exist long after the reasons for its existence had ceased. The town's history began in the 1870s with the advent of copper mining in the area, construction ...

. On 18 Oct 2017, the station with an area at the time of was sold at auction for A$8.4 million to South Australian pastoralist and Yadlamalka Station owner Andrew Doman. The property holds up to 8,500 livestock and offers 4WD driving tracks and accommodation. Paul and Karen Ellis of Camel Treks Australia relocated to Beltana Station in 2018. , it covers an area of on land located between Lake Torrens in the west and the Flinders Ranges in the east, about north of the state capital of Adelaide.

Heritage listing

The historic

Beltana Station Homestead Beltana is a town north of Adelaide, South Australia. Beltana is known for continuing to exist long after the reasons for its existence had ceased. The town's history began in the 1870s with the advent of copper mining in the area, construction ...

is listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

References

{{Stations of South Australia, state=collapsed Stations (Australian agriculture) Pastoral leases in South Australia Far North (South Australia)

History

21st century

Heritage listing

See also

References