Hamilton Downs Station

Hamilton Downs Station is located in Northern Territory
Hamilton Downs Station
Hamilton Downs Station
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Location in the Northern Territory

23°38′58″S 133°29′52″E / 23.6494387°S 133.4977659°E / -23.6494387; 133.4977659 (Hamilton Downs Station) Hamilton Downs Station was a cattle station west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is now a youth camp.

History

The old homestead on Hamilton Downs Station

Hamilton Downs was established in 1910 by hotel manager Sid Stanes Jr. and Ted Harris. It is named after a spring near Jay Creek which was named by John McDouall Stuart in 1860, after his supporter George Hamilton.[1] The first substantial homestead was built in 1913.[2]

The station was managed for some time by pioneer Aboriginal woman Amelia Kunoth and her husband Harry.[3] By the 1940s, it was run by the Davis Brothers, Pat and John who invested in developing the water infrastructure of the property.[4][5] by the 1950s the property was turning of over 3000 head of cattle per year.[6]

Gwoja Tjungurrayi worked on the station at some point in the 1940s or 1950s.[7]

Queen Elizabeth II visited the station in February 1963, during her Australian tour.[8]

Heritage listing

Significant restoration works were completed on the homesteads and stables in 1972. Five buildings on the property were heritage listed in 1993.[2] The station celebrated its 100th birthday in 2011.[9]

Youth camp

Hamilton Downs has also been the location of a youth camp since March 1978. It was initially run by Apex Club of Central Australia, but as of 2016 was being managed by an independent committee.[10]

Images from the Hamilton Downs Collection, available through Wikimedia Commons, all taken around the 1940s:

  • The old homestead at Hamilton Downs Station
    The old homestead at Hamilton Downs Station
  • The yard near Cadney Bore on the Station
    The yard near Cadney Bore on the Station
  • A windmill at the station in August 1946
    A windmill at the station in August 1946
  • Skinning an animal, about 1950 at Hamilton Downs
    Skinning an animal, about 1950 at Hamilton Downs
  • The station well near the old homsestead
    The station well near the old homsestead
  • Horse drawn wagon loaded with timber
    Horse drawn wagon loaded with timber
  • A hut at Ceilidh Well
    A hut at Ceilidh Well
  • The old station garden
    The old station garden

See also

References

  1. ^ Volling, Tom (10 May 2016). "NT's pastoral history brought back to life with restoration of meat house on Hamilton Downs Station". NT News.
  2. ^ a b "Old Hamilton Downs Station". NT Heritage Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  3. ^ Wilkins, Peter W. "Amelia Kunoth". www.wilmap.com.au. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  4. ^ "A Modern Station". Centralian Advocate. Vol. II, no. 97. Northern Territory, Australia. 8 April 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 13 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Improvements Continuing at Hamilton Downs". Centralian Advocate. Vol. III, no. 127. Northern Territory, Australia. 4 November 1949. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "EX-V.R.D. Manager Buys Criticism". Centralian Advocate. Vol. VI, no. 309. Northern Territory, Australia. 8 May 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 13 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ Knowles, Rachael (5 April 2023). "The remarkable life of the Warlpiri-Anmatyerre man on the $2 coin". NITV. SBS. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  8. ^ "The visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Hamilton Downs Station". Territory Stories. Northern Territory Library. 26 February 1963. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  9. ^ Lee, Nicole (13 May 2011). "100 years of Hamilton Downs". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Alice Springs. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Home". Hamilton Downs Youth Camp. Retrieved 12 November 2016.