Morney Plains Station, most commonly referred to as Morney Plains, 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 ...

that operates as a cattle station in south west Queensland. It is situated about west of Windorah and east of Birdsville in the channel country close to the border with South Australia. The property is currently owned by S. Kidman & Co. and occupies an area of with a carrying capacity of 14,000 head.

History

The traditional owners of the area are the Karuwali, who have lived there for tens of thousands of years. Karuwali (also known as Garuwali, Dieri) is a language of far western Queensland. The Karuwali language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Diamantina Shire Council, including the localities of Betoota and Haddon Corner. The lease was first taken up, on Karuwali tribal lands, by pioneer and pastoralist John Costello in the late 1860s or early 1870s. William Barker bought Morney Plains in 1876 along with the 1,000 head of cattle it was stocked with from the Collins brothers. The property was owned by Weir and Scott in 1881 when it was visited by a journalist who described it as "splendid country with hardly any grass on it simply to want for sufficient rainfall". The writer had been riding in a southerly direction along the Diamantina River and had described the area near the station as being lightly timbered stony country with large areas of saltbush and

cotton bush ''Maireana aphylla'', also known as cotton bush or leafless bluebush, is a leafless (or almost leafless) shrub that is endemic to Australia. It is usually rounded in form and grows to around in height. The species occurs in all mainland stat ...

. In 1887 the homestead was washed away following exceptionally heavy rains in the area and the heaviest flooding known at the time. In 1927 the property was acquired by

Ernest Castine Ernest William Castine (26 November 1869 – 8 February 1955) was a pastoralist and politician in the State of South Australia. History Castine was born at "Prospect Cottage", Auburn, the son of Colonel John William Castine (member for Wooroora ...

for £27,500. Castine bought the property at auction from Coles Brothers Limited following the death of Thomas Kidman. The property occupied an area of and was stocked with 7,500 head of cattle and 200 horses, and well watered by over four

artesian Artesian may refer to: * Someone from the County of Artois * Artesian aquifer, a source of water * Artesian Builds, a former computer building company * Artesian, South Dakota, United States * Great Artesian Basin, Australia * The Artesian Hotel ...

bores. Airmail delivery to remote properties in

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...

South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland commenced in 1949. Morney Plains along with other remote properties including Mungerannie, Clifton Hills,

Glengyle Glengyle distillery is a long-established Scotch whisky production centre in Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute, that closed down in 1925. In 2000 it was totally re-planned as the first new Scottish distillery of the millennium. Its single malts are bot ...

, Davenport Downs, Mulka, Mount Leonard, Durrie,

Cordillo Downs Cordillo Downs or Cordillo Downs Station is both a pastoral lease currently operating as a cattle station and a formal bounded locality in South Australia. It is located about north of Innamincka and south east of Birdsville. The name and bo ...

Tanbar Station Tanbar Station is a pastoral lease that currently operates as a cattle station in Tanbar, Shire of Barcoo, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately south west of Windorah and north east of Innamincka in the Channel Country of Q ...

, Durham Downs,

Nappa Merrie Nappa Merrie Station, most commonly known as Nappa Merrie, is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in central west Queensland, Australia. Description The property is located north east of Innamincka and south east of Birdsvi ...

, Lake Pure and

Naryilco Naryilco Station also known as Naryilco Downs is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station. Description It is located about north of Tibooburra and south east of Innanincka in the Channel Country of outback Queensland. It consists ...

were also on the route. Craig Lasker and Nikki Smith have managed the property since 2000 after short stints at Ruby Plains Station and then Mooraberree Station, an outstation at Morney Plains. Drought struck in 2001 and continued through 2002, with the herd being reduced from 13,000 to 3,000 head of cattle. In 2003 a heavy downpour caused more damage than relief and later the same year the homestead burnt down killing the couple's two children. Despite the tragedy the couple stayed at Morney Plains and were still managing it in 2012. In 2013, the station was struck by drought again, requiring water to be piped from a

bore Bore or Bores often refer to: *Boredom * Drill Relating to holes * Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole ** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or a steam locomotive ** Bore (wind instruments), ...

to the homestead once the water in the dams had run dry.

References

{{Stations of Sidney Kidman Stations (Australian agriculture) Pastoral leases in Queensland South West Queensland

History

See also

References