Cattle baron Callum MacLachlan faces court charged with damaging historic Wave Hill walk-off site

Callum MacLachlan was previously a managing director of the family’s Jumbuck Pastoral holdings until the empire was split late last year and retains control of the Wave Hill station.

Wave Hill cattle station near Kalkarindji 400km south of Katherine.

Cattle baron Callum MacLachlan will “make good” any damage to the historic Wave Hill walk-off site at Kalkarindji after being charged with damaging a heritage place, a court has heard.

Mr MacLachlan faced the Darwin Local Court for the first time on Tuesday along with companies Wave Hill Holdings, CHM Pastoral and Commonwealth Hill.

His lawyer Giles O’Brien-Hartcher said there had “never been any intention to damage the heritage site”.

“My client intends to make good any damage that’s been occasioned and to that end we have submitted an application to the relevant department to apply to make good that damage,” he said.

“So in those circumstances, we need a brief your honour, and we’re asking for a six week adjournment into the directions hearing list.”

Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities prosecutor Casimir Zichy also asked for more time to speak to people on the ground.

Wave Hill walk-off leader Vincent Lingiari with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam at the historic site in 1975.

“As part of the preliminary brief we are hoping to include statements from witnesses out at Kalkarindji,” he said.

“As your honour’s probably aware, there’s been severe flooding in that area so the roads have been cut off.

“So although we’ve made several attempts to go out there and speak to the relevant witnesses, we’ve not been able to do so on a number of occasions.”

A department spokeswoman previously said an investigation had “highlighted significant damage to the site, including the demolition of a historic windmill and fence that marked the walk-off route”.

Mr MacLachlan was previously a managing director of the MacLachlan family’s Jumbuck Pastoral holdings with his brother Jock until the empire was split late last year.

As part of the carve up, the MacLachlans split their 5.2m hectares of pastoral land throughout South Australia, Western Australia, NSW and the NT, with Callum taking control of the Killarney, Wave Hill and Springfield stations.

The case will return to court on May 13.