Undoolya Station

The Central Arrernte people have lived on Undoolya Station and the surrounding region for thousands of years.

Undoolya Station was established by South Australian pastoralist and stock agent Edward Mead Bagot. After working the southern section of the Overland Telegraph Line, Bagot applied for two leases adjoining the Alice Springs Telegraph Station in 1872. His friend Joseph Gilbert also applied for two blocks, closer to where Owen Springs Station is today.

Bagot's son Ted, Churchill Smith and Joseph Gilbert's son William, selected cattle on Gilbert's Pewsey Vale Station to stock the new Central Australian leases. They undertook the first large cattle drove from South Australia to Alice Springs in June. It is considered to be one of the great droving feats in Australia history, during which they met Charles Todd returning from his first inspection of the southern end of the Overland Telegraph Line, as well as well-known explorers Ernest Giles, Peter Warburton and William Gosse.

When they arrived in March 1873 with the cattle they first camped at Emily Gap (Anthwerrke), which was designed to be a temporary camp, until construction of a homestead began in 1873 near to Mount Undoolya. In doing so they did not realise that they were camping at a very sacred site, connected with Caterpillar Dreaming, for the Arrernte people.{{Citation |author1=Rubuntja, Wenten |title=The town grew up dancing : the life and art of Wenten Rubuntja |publication-date=2002 |publisher=Jukurrpa Books |isbn=978-1-86465-042-6 |author2=Rowse, Tim, 1951- |author3=Green, Jenny (Jennifer Anne)}} Stuart Traynor says that:{{Citation |author1=Traynor, Stuart |title=Alice Springs : from singing wire to iconic outback town |publication-date=2016 |publisher=Wakefield Press |isbn=978-1-74305-449-9}}

{{Quote|text=The men had no concept of Aboriginal spirituality or any inkling that what they had done was akin to taking livestock inside a cathedral.|author=Stuart Traynor|title=Alice Springs: from singing wire to iconic outback town (2016)}}

Undoolya was purchased by William Hayes and his wife Mary in 1906.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56976085 |title=Life in the bush |newspaper=The Register |volume=LXXIII |issue=19,117 |location=South Australia |date=20 February 1908 |accessdate=23 August 2016 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}} In 1911, the Commonwealth Department of External Affairs stated the need for a horse breeding station, to meet a contract with the Indian Army to supply them with over 4000 horses annually. The Undoolya leases were identified as a potential location since they were up for renewal in September 1911. After much uncertainty, the leases were signed and delivered to the Hayes family on 15 September 1921. By then William Hayes had died, so his son Edward Hayes became general manager and moved from Maryvale Station to Undoolya with his wife Ann.{{cite book|last1=Bucknall|first1=Graeme|title='Undoolya' 1872 - 1988: A Documented Short History of Undoolya The First Legal Cattle Station in the Northern Territory|date=1991|location=Victoria}} In 1930 the family company was dissolved and the Hayes family properties were put up for auction in 1930.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54160465 |title=Cattle Stations To Be Sold |newspaper=The Register News-Pictorial |volume=XCV |issue=27,589 |location=South Australia |date=17 January 1930 |accessdate=23 August 2016 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia}} He purchased Undoolya and sold Maryvale and Owen Springs. After serious drought conditions, Hayes realised the need for dams and developed the infrastructure on Undoolya. He also introduced Poll Herefords to the station, the first to bring them to Central Australia. By 1935 he had grown the station to 2000 cattle, 150 horses and 400 goats.

In 1950, Edward Hayes sold the station to his son Edward Junior, better known as Ted (-1988) and his wife Jean. In 1960 Ted purchased Deep Well Station. He was forced to move all his cattle to Undoolya Station in 1964 to 1965 due to drought, abandoning Deep Well. All staff relocated to Undoolya also.{{cite web|url=http://www.cifhs.com/ntrecords/ntcensus/deepw.html|title=Deep Well 1965-1970|publisher=Paul Mackett|accessdate=22 March 2015}} Despite challenging climatic conditions, Ted doubled the capacity of Undoolya over the last 30 years of his life, leaving the station to his wife and sons. The station remains in the family and is currently run by Ben and Nicole Hayes.

The Hayes continue to run Poll Hereford cattle on the property. It is European Union-accredited and has been part of a Meat Standards Australia grading program since 2009. They predominately supply cattle to T&R Pastoral abattoir at Murray Bridge or Victorian feedlots.

The Hayes Family cleared part of the station in 2002 to establish Rocky Hill Table Grapes. They now have 60,000 white grape vines over {{convert|60|ha|acre|0}}.{{cite news|last1=Goodwin|first1=Shan|title=Grapes and cattle a fine mix in the desert|url=http://www.farmweekly.com.au/news/agriculture/cattle/beef/grapes-and-cattle-a-fine-mix-in-the-desert/2751970.aspx?storypage=0|accessdate=23 August 2016|agency=Farm Weekly|date=19 March 2016}} They have also grown lucerne, onions, cabbages and other vegetables.{{cite news|last1=Brain|first1=Caddie|title=Trial onion crop planted near Alice Springs|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-06/rocky-hill-onions/4859426|accessdate=23 August 2016|agency=ABC Rural|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=5 August 2013}} Rocky Hill was granted an increased water extraction license in 2015,{{cite web|last1=Ashley|first1=Mark|title=Notice of Water Extraction Licence Decision|url=https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/291302/nod-mereenie-rocky-hill-table-grapes.pdf|publisher=Northern Territory Government|accessdate=23 August 2016|date=6 October 2015}} causing concern among some local residents and environmental groups.{{cite news|last1=Crothers|first1=Joanna|title=Alice Springs water supply 'under threat', environmentalists call for freeze on new extraction licences|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-03/new-extraction-licences-face-strong-opposition/6906834|accessdate=23 August 2016|agency=ABC News|date=3 November 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Read|first1=Robert|title=Rocky Hill vineyard threat to our drinking water|url=http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2015/02/26/rocky-hill-vinyard-threat-to-our-drinking-water/|accessdate=23 August 2016|agency=Alice Springs News online|date=26 February 2015}}

In 2022 it celebrated its 150th anniversary.{{Cite news |date=2022-09-30 |title=Built up from 'bugger all', the NT's oldest cattle station turns 150 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-01/undooyla-cattle-station-turns-150-first-nt-pastoral-lease/101491974 |access-date=2024-02-15 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}

File:Undoolya Station(GN02703).jpg|Undoolya Station, ca. 1905

File:Undoolya_Station_in_1922.jpg|Undoolya Station, looking south, in 1922

File:Undoolya_Station_in_1922_showing_Undoolya_Creek.jpg|Undoolya Station in 1922 showing Undoolya Creek

File:Edward_(Ted)_Hayes_in_1922.jpg|Edward (Ted) Hayes in 1922

File:Johannsen 020.tif|Gerhardt Johannsen and Ted Hayes Senior with their first cars at the Undoolya Station homestead, 1923

File:Cattle_grazing_on_Undoolya_Station_in_1924.jpg|Cattle grazing on Undoolya Station in 1924

File:Manager's House, Undoolya Station.jpg|Manager's House, Undoolya Station, date unknown

File:George Bastian 041.tif|Undoolya Station in 1937-1938

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