Myrtle Springs Station is a pastoral lease that 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 ...

in outback

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 ...

Description

The station is located approximately south of Marree and north of

Blinman Blinman is a locality incorporating two towns located in the Australian state of South Australia within the Flinders Ranges about north of the state capital of Adelaide. It is very small but has the claim of being the highest surveyed town in S ...

. The property adjoins

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 ...

and Leigh Creek Stations. It is on the western side of the northern

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 inhabit ...

where the ranges stop and the flat plains of the

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. Is ...

basin starts. The area is mostly sand dunes interspersed with

claypan Claypan is a dense, compact, slowly permeable layer in the subsoil. It has a much higher clay content than the overlying material, from which it is separated by a sharply defined boundary. The dense structure restricts root growth and water infiltra ...

History

The pastoral lease was first taken up by Henry McConville in 1864. At that time the property was also known as Mount Scott, and the station occupied an area of . Shortly afterwards, the area was struck by drought until 1866. When the drought broke, the station's flock had been reduced to 3000 sheep. Unfortunately the rains that broke the drought made the ground boggy and further reduced the flock to 500. McConville then entered a partnership with William Baines in both Myrtle Springs and neighbouring Mirrabuckina Station. The flock eventually increased to 11,000. Baines and McConville placed the property on the market in late 1872, and it was bought by

Alexander Borthwick Murray Alexander Borthwick Murray (14 February 1816 – 17 March 1903) was an Australian sheep breeder and parliamentarian in the early days of South Australia. He married his business partner Margaret Tinline after they had established a successful s ...

in partnership with George Tinline in 1873. At this time it occupied an area of and was stocked with 3000 sheep, 300 head of cattle and 50 horses. The property was advertised as having many improvements such as yards, huts and the headstation. It was estimated to have a carrying capacity of 29,000 sheep. Murray and Tinline ran sheep on the property. In 1876 the area recorded good rains with about falling in a one-day period. This left the station isolated for a time and also caused the loss of 5,000 sheep and 17 horses. By 1898 the lease was held by Leonard Browne who also held the lease to Leigh's Creek Station. By 1907 the property was owned by the Matheson brothers who put it on the market the following year. The station occupied an area of and was stocked with 30,346 sheep. Richard Dawes sold the property in 1920 to John Cowan and John Lindo. At this stage the station encompassed an area of and had an estimated carrying capacity of 50,000 sheep and 700 cattle. Kidman estates disposed of Myrtle Springs, Witchelina,

Mount Nor' West Mount Nor' West Station is a pastoral lease in outback South Australia that once operated as a sheep station but is now a cattle station. It is located approximately south of Marree and north west of Lyndhurst. History The lease was tak ...

and Ediacra stations with a combined area of over in 1950. The purchasers were A. S. Toll, E. G. and J. L. Boynthon who had established the Myrtle Springs Pastoral company. In 1954 Myrtle Springs was being managed by Maurice Smith, and the station consisted of . In April 2013, the land occupying the extent of the Myrtle Springs pastoral lease was gazetted by the Government of South Australia as a locality under the name ' Myrtle Springs'.

References

{{Stations of Sidney Kidman Stations in South Australia Far North (South Australia) 1864 establishments in Australia

Description

History

See also

References