Up in the Kimberley district of WA is the largest privately owned property in the world. The place has been in the same family since Australia’s early days. When President Lyndon Johnson visited Australia there was a function, and they invited the owner of Kimberley Downs as one of our leading cattlemen, since Johnson was also a cattleman. Apparently Johnson was speaking proudly of his 200,000 acre property in Texas and asked the Australian how big his property was.

He replied “Not quite sure, but I think about a third the size of Texas.”

Actually, because of the arid nature of the place they need huge properties to run enough stock to make a decent living. Where Bill is it is too dry for effective grain crops, and he struggles to make a living with about 400 head of cattle (about 200 breeders that he just manages to get through the winter each year with hay he stores up during the good months) He runs it by himself with help from neighbours when more than one man is needed. They scratch each others backs as it were.

Lance Wearmouth