Australia’s northernmost pastoral holding to be handed back to traditional owners
A much-loved and key stop on the trip to Cape York with high conservation values faces a turning point in its long history with new plans revealed.
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AUSTRALIA’S northernmost pastoral holding, snapped up by the state government last year for $11.5m, will be returned to traditional owners.
The iconic Bramwell Station, 630km north west of Cairns, has significant wilderness areas.
State Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the property would return to First Nations ownership and management through negotiation as part of the highly successful Cape York Peninsula Tenure Resolution Program (CYTRP).
“The area includes significant, undisturbed ecosystems and habitat that will become part of the protected area estate,” she said.
She said the government would negotiate through the CYTRP which areas of the land would be jointly-managed national park and which areas would become Aboriginal freehold land.
The CYTRP returns ownership and management of identified lands on Cape York Peninsula to Indigenous traditional owners, while ensuring the region’s iconic natural and cultural values are protected.
Ms Scanlon said Bramwell Station and the adjoining Richardson station connected with Batavia National Park and Bromley National Park, both of which were Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal land, along with Michingun Nature Refuge, Heathlands Reserve and Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve Nature Refuge.
In good news for Cape York tourists, the Junction Roadhouse at the intersection of the Bamaga Road and the start of the Old Telegraph Track will stay.
“The roadhouse and tourist park are vital to the local economy and the tourism industry, and we will ensure provisions are made to allow these facilities to continue operating,” Ms Scanlon said.
Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation executive director Gerhardt Pearson said the corporation was delighted the traditional owners would enjoy the cultural and economic benefits of their ancestral lands.
“Traditional owners of these strategic lands – gateway to Northern Cape York, including the start of the Telegraph Track – can now work with the traditional owners of surrounding lands to better manage country and protected areas,” he said.
Dr James Fitzsimons, Director of Conservation and Science for The Nature Conservancy Australia, said the purchase of Richardson Station and Bramwell Station by the Queensland Government was a great achievement for conservation.
“The properties present significant conservation values with a number of priority ecosystems and species,” he said.
“They also offer high value for resilience to climate change which is critical for biodiversity protection,” Dr Fitzsimons said.
The Federal Government will put in $1.95m toward the $11.5m price tag.
The 139,900ha property went to auction last August.
It is 240km south of the tip of Cape York.
The property positioned as the last stop before the tip of Cape York at the start of the famous Old Telegraph Line four-wheel-drive track, was offered for sale Wendy Kozicka and Vince Bowyer, who lived there for 20 years.
The couple has bought another property, the 90,000ha Strathleven Station, 350km northwest of Mareeba.
The roadhouse is about 12km north of the homestead and is the last fuel stop before the Jardine River Crossing.
“It runs to the Great Barrier Reef and two-thirds of the property has been held for conservation by us, we have an eco-tourism track which we’ve kept limited,” Ms Kozicka said.
“Everyone likes to stop at the start of the old Telegraph Track.
The tourist park has 28 accommodation rooms, a licenced camp kitchen-style bar and restaurant, open camping and a caravan park area.
Katter Australian Party leader Robbie Katter earlier condemned the buy, saying it would lead to the locking up of the Cape and the pushing out of graziers.
“We don’t have the cash to be spending money on pointless environmental exercises, that will arguably deliver poorer outcomes than if the land were to remain in private hands,” Mr Katter said.
The sale of Bramwell Station is among some jaw-dropping cattle station buys in recent months.
Redrock Station at Einasleigh was sold for $11m.
The 22,700ha property was bought by Alf Collins of Marlborough.
And the Bellevue aggregation near Chillagoe was sold for $40m by the Burton-Taylor family to an overseas buyer.
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Originally published as Australia’s northernmost pastoral holding to be handed back to traditional owners
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