Host: Wooroona Grazing Co.
Region: Central Highlands, Queensland
Nearest town: Rockhampton/Emerald – both 2 hours in opposite directions
Nearest (and recommended) roadhouse: Duaringa – highly rate the toasted steak sandwiches
Number of cattle: combined carry average across 3 properties is 4000
Number of staff: 3-4
Size of station: The home station is 30,000 acres (12,500 Hectares)
How often and how the mail is delivered: Twice a week, by a mail run car
How often and how the stores shopping is done: Once every two weeks and by going to town and buying bulk.
Blog: https://graziher.wordpress.com
Website: https://www.graziher.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graziher/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graziher/
Hello from “Wooroona”, a cattle property in the Central Highlands of Queensland. Wooroona is a generational cattle property that has been in the Dunne family a touch over 100 years. James O’Grady Dunne purchased it from the Livingston family in 1907 and it has carried down through the generations and here we are today. Six generations later it is a thriving 12,500 hectare property, home to Tim and Kath Dunne and their six children Erin, Claire, Colleen, Kathleen, Patrick and Bill.
Watching grass grow.
Grandad – James ‘Bill’ Dunne, astride a horse outside the second Wooroona homestead (the original burnt down), circa 1930s.
Afternoon tea in the early days of the Dunne family settling Wooroona. Possibly more civilised then than now.
Our family, standing on the grid before the homestead at Woooroona. Taken in 2014 at Easter time.
Wooroona originally ran sheep, which were replaced by cattle due to losses of livestock to spear grass and dingos. It is a mixture of range country and creek flats, with native grasses. European cattle breeds such as Shorthorn and Herefords were stocked for a number of years before moving to the Brahmans around the 1950s.
Art Dunne, Mack & 2 Shorthorns bulls at Wooroona. The two trees still standing today.
The change in breeds came from the area being land that carries the cattle tick and being an area that has its dry years. Where European breeds of cattle will be affected greatly by cattle ticks in and the harsher climates of drought and dry times, the Brahman cattle will endure the dry times as being hardier animals therefore are suited better to the areas conditions.
Calves drafted, ready for branding at Wooroona.
Feeding the weaners.
James (Bill) Dunne (Grandad) decided to trial the Brahman cattle which were a relatively new breed to Queensland. Whether it bears some truth, the tale is told that James Dunne bought the first young Brahman Bull calf for Wooroona in the back of a jeep, tied in a hessian bag.
Assorted mob of cattle ready for drafting, Coffee Pot, a fattening block.
Heading home.
The Graziher magazine is run out of Wooroona by Claire Dunne.

An Alice Girl
An Alice Girl is Tanya Heaslip’s extraordinary story of growing up in the late 1960s and early 70s on a vast and isolated outback cattle property just north of Alice Springs. Tanya’s parents, Janice and Grant ‘the Boss’, were pioneers. They developed the cattle station where water was scarce, where all power was dependent on […]

When the boss bought home a wife
A copy by memory of poems by W. DeBeuzeville, who worked for Berte Wilkinson at Yallowin (a stock dealer in the years 1905, 1906, and 1907, before the days of motor cars). When the boss bought home a wife Yes, he’s married is the old boss now, And leads a quiet life A sitting round […]

Episode 54. Steph Coombes – It takes a village
Welcome to the final Central Station podcast for 2020! As per usual, you’re listening to me, Steph Coombes, who is the host of this podcast and who also manages all of the Central Station platforms. Today’s episode has been inspired by Lucy Daley, who featured on Episode 52. When asked what message would she put […]

When the warning signs aren’t there
Written by Lara Jensen, Wondinong Station I answered the knock at the door the night my brother and his two friends were killed. It was just before midnight when two local police officers arrived at our Murchison homestead. Shearing was due to start the following day. Around our kitchen table, we learnt that three beautiful […]


AGP Indonesia (2013-2015)
Host: Lisa Wood Company: PT. Agro Giri Perkasa (AGP) Business: Importer of Cattle to Indonesia Location: Indonesia My Role: Traceability Manager Short bit about myself: I came to Indonesia as a traceability officer on a steel fabrication project for a WA mining project. While I was working on this project The Ban occurred. I remember […]

Hodgson River Station (2013-2015)
Location: Hodgson River Station, NT Website: Cattle Producer Hello Central station readers, I’m located in the NT with my husband and 2 children. We operate a small cattle property in the Roper Gulf breeding Droughtmasters. Our main turnoff is to the live cattle export trade, particularly Indonesia but also the countries that take heavier […]

Katherine Outback Experience (2016-)
Host: Katherine Outback Experience, Riverboyne Horsebreaking & Training Manager/ owner: Tom Curtain Region: Katherine, Northern Territory Nearest town for shopping: Katherine – 6km Nearest roadhouse: Katherine Number of Cattle: 1 Brahman steer, his name is ‘Tin Shaker’! Number of Staff: 2 Size of Property: 20 acres How often and how the mail is delivered: Mail is […]

Helen Springs Station (2015)
Host: Helen Springs Station Managers/ Owners: Helen Springs Station is owned by S. Kidman and Co Ltd and is managed by Chris Towne, along with his wife Sally Towne. Brunchilly, the outstation to Helen Springs, is managed by Luke Giblin. Region: Helen Springs and Brunchilly are situated in the Barkly Tablelands in the Northern Territory. Nearest town […]

Undoolya Station (2018-)
Station Name: Undoolya Station Owners/Manager: Ben and Nicole Hayes Region: Alice Springs, Northern Territory Nearest town for shopping, doctors etc: Alice Springs, 30km Nearest Roadhouse:Alice Springs, 30km Number of Cattle: 5000 Breeders Number of Staff: Size of Station: How often and how is the mail delivered: How often and how the stores shopping is done: