Allegations of land clearing Claravale Farm mentioned in Darwin Local Court

Allegations of land clearing at Claravale Farm are headed to court. Read what happened.

Claravale Station, Dorisvale Station, and Wombungin Station turn off on the Stuart Highway approximately 90km north of Katherine.

The Northern Territory’s first land clearing prosecution is headed back to the courts in May.

Claravale farm co-owner Clayton Coleman faces one charge of unauthorised clearing native vegetation for a matter dating back to 2021.

The matter will return to Darwin Local Court for a mention hearing before Justice Stephen Geary on May 15.

Land cleared at Claravale farm near the Daly River.

The prosecution began in early 2024 following allegations hundreds of hectares of land were cleared without a permit between June and September 2021.

In 2024 this masthead reported that Claravale was issued a Pastoral Land Board permit to clear 926.65ha of land in September 2021.

The Territory Government said at the time there were allegations some of the land was cleared before the application was processed.

Mr Coleman bought Claravale’s pastoral lease and a neighbouring freehold block for $8.5m in April 2021 with partner Michael Simmich through the Top End Pastoral Company.

The 61,000 hectare station is south of Pine Creek.

Environmental groups have run an extensive campaign to prevent pastoral land from being cleared in the Northern Territory.

Originally published as Allegations of land clearing Claravale Farm mentioned in Darwin Local Court