What Are Cattle And Sheep Stations?

Cattle and sheep stations are massive ranches in the Australian Outback or high country of New Zealand.

Cattle and sheep stations are essentially ranches for the rearing of livestock. Many stations comprise thousands of square miles; some are even larger than small European countries in size. The vastness of these cattle and sheep stations, then, is a good indicator of the sheer scale of Australia which can sometimes be difficult to appreciate by looking at a world atlas.

Cattle and sheep stations are generally located about two days travel from the nearest settlement. The manager of a station is called a stockman/stockwoman and often livestock numbers can run into many thousands depending on the availability of vegetation and water.

Sheep stations in Australia are located south of the dog fence, a barrier that was built during the 1880s to deny dingos access to the relatively fertile south-east of Australia and to protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland.

I'm not sure there are any stations in a Australia that are more than a days drive from anywhere. Two days is an extreme exaggeration. The manager of a station is just that, a manager, but next in line is generally a head stockman. He/ She, manages the stockcamp (a group of about 8- 10 people that work exclusively with the cattle) and the work that goes with that. There are other station workers like cooks, cleaners, governess' (nannies), bookkeepers, machinery operaters and bore runners. Bore runners maintain the watering points. A large station will take about a day and a half to check all waters.