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 3,467.48 square kilometres (1,338.80 sq mi).[1]
An area of 266 square kilometres (103 sq mi) within the station is composed of reserves 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.[2]
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.
Contents |
Robert Austin 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.
An international consortium is working on the design and location of a proposed radio telescope 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.[3] 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.