Narwietooma Station, most commonly known as Narwietooma, is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is on the traditional lands of the Western Arrernte and Anmatyerr people who are the recognised Native Title holders of large sections of land that make up the station. [1]
It is a part of the Local Government Area of the MacDonnell Region Council. [2]
It is situated about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Hermannsburg and 139 kilometres (86 mi) west of Alice Springs, and is bordered by the West MacDonnell National Park close to Ormiston Gorge. Narwietooma is surrounded by other leases including Glen Helen Station to the south west, Derwent Station to the west, Napperby Station to the north and Amburla to the east, and the West MacDonnell National Park to the south. [3]
The property occupies an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,158 sq mi) and has a carrying capacity of approximately 17,000 head of cattle depending on the season. It is fenced into 80 separate paddocks and is watered by 60 bores and 35 dams. [4]
Part of the area that Narwietooma Station covers was first spasmodically occupied by Archibald "Archie" Giles as a part of Redbank Station. [5]
The Narwietooma pastoral lease was first established in 1942 by a partnership between Edward Connellan, who owned another station named Narwie, and F. O'Keefe, who owned a property named Tooma; the name of the lease was a portmanteau of the names of the other two properties. [6]
Connellan was an experienced pilot, and later established Connellan Airways in 1943. He picked out the land for the station in 1938 when doing aerial surveys to assess the viability of an air service. [7]
Following the death of his partners, Connellan acquired complete ownership of Narwietooma in 1946. He sank the first bore in 1947 and began grazing cattle in 1948. His family moved to the property in 1955 and Connellan supervised all station work. [7] Records about Connellan's application for the lease (A650, 1944/1/551) and his period of time at the station (E740, P86) are held by the National Archives of Australia. [8]
In 2022 to Hewitt Cattle Australia bought the property from Tim and Emily Edmunds, operating as Hale River Holdings, as a part of a Certified Organic beef enterprise alongside the adjoining Napperby, Glen Helen and Derwent stations; [9] they had previously purchased the nearby Ambalindum and Numery pastoral leases from the same owners. [10] It is now part of one of the largest organic land parcels in the world. [11]
The Native Title of sections of this land was recognised in 2016 through native title consent determinations at special sittings of the Federal Court. [12] The native title holders are Western Arrernte and Anmatyerr speakers and belong to the Imperlknge, Urlatherrke, Parerrule, Yaperlpe, Urlampe, Lwekerreye and Ilewerr landholding groups and people who have rights and interests in the area of land known as Kwerlerrethe. [1]
The Wala Aboriginal Corporation are the registered Native Title body corporate that holds their rights and interests. [13] [14] [15]
Erldunda is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station 200 km (120 mi) south of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Curtin Springs, formerly Mount Conner Station, is a pastoral lease operating as a cattle station in the Alice Springs region of the Northern Territory of Australia.
The Anmatyerr, also spelt Anmatyerre, Anmatjera, Anmatjirra, Amatjere and other variations) are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory, who speak one of the Upper Arrernte languages.
Glengyle Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in central west Queensland.
Durrie Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in Queensland, Australia.
Naryilco Station, also known as Naryilco Downs, is a pastoral lease in Queensland, Australia, that operates as a cattle station.
Mount Doreen Station is a 7,337-square-kilometre (2,833 sq mi) pastoral lease operating as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Mount Ebenezer Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Amungee Mungee Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Calvert Hills Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. It occupies an area of about 4,814 square kilometres (1,859 sq mi).
S. Kidman & Co is an Australian producer of beef. While it used to be one of the largest producers, since being owned by Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting since December 2016, it has been selling off its properties. As of 10 April 2023 it has four pastoral leases, one in the Northern Territory and three in Queensland.
Napperby Station, also known as Napperby, is a 5,500 square kilometres (2,124 sq mi) pastoral lease used as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Yambah Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Standley Chasm is a geological formation located west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. It lies within the West MacDonnell National Park. The Western Arrernte Aboriginal people are its original owners; it is traditionally known as Angkerle Atwatye, meaning the Gap of Water. Standley Chasm is located in a reserve privately owned by the Iwupataka Land Trust.
Margaret Heffernan, is a Central Arrernte linguist, author, interpreter and translator who is now a well respected elder in her community. Heffernan is responsible for developing the orthography of Arrernte.
Pine Hill Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the southern Northern Territory.
Mount Zeil is a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 1,248 kilometres (775 mi) south of the territory capital of Darwin.
Laramba is a small town in the Northern Territory of Australia, around 205 km (127 mi) west of Alice Springs. Access to the community is via the Napperby Station road.
Woodgreen Station, also spelt Wood Green and also known as Atartinga, is a cattle station located in the Northern Territory of Australia, to the northeast of Alice Springs, extending approximately 2,215 km2 (855 sq mi). It was also known as (Mer) Athatheng by some of the Indigenous people in the area.