Yardea

{{Short description|Pastoral lease in South Australia}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Location map|South Australia|label=Yardea |position=center |lat_deg=32.38|lat_dir=S |lon_deg=135.524|lon_dir=E |caption=Location in South Australia}} {{coord|32.38|S|135.524|E|type:landmark_region:AU|name=Yardea|display=title}}

'''Yardea Station''' is a pastoral lease in the Australian state of South Australia that operates as a sheep station, now within the Gawler Ranges National Park. '''Paney Station''' became part of Yardea Station in 1904.

It is situated approximately {{convert|64|km|mi|0}} north east of Minnipa and {{convert|157|km|mi|0}} west of Iron Knob in the Gawler Ranges.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/austory/series4/9920text.htm|title=Archives – Transcript – In Search of Kings|date=1 July 1999|access-date=23 July 2014|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>

==History== The land occupied by the station is on the traditional lands of the Kokatha, Wirangu and Barngarla peoples. There was once an Aboriginal camp, including a freshwater spring later used as the station's water source, and they maintained and used rock holes in the granite rock formations as a water source.<ref name=disturbed>{{citation| url=https://unisa.edu.au/contentassets/d20e4cd5cf384ea686b504cd7a6c1d66/naturally-disturbed-catalogue.pdf| publisher= University of South Australia| title= Naturally Disturbed: 6 April - 7 May 2010| format=Exhibition catalogue, from an exhibition at the SASA Gallery.| date=2010| author1=Kneebone, Sue| author1-link= Sue Kneebone| author2= Jones, Philip G.|author2-link=South Australian Museum#People associated with the Museum|author3= Knights, Mary}}</ref>

Yardea was established at some time prior to 1865, and was the first property taken up in the Gawler Ranges,<ref name="R1"/> with Hiltaba and Paney following soon afterwards.<ref name=disturbed/> At one time an estimated 80–90,000 sheep were shorn there.<ref name="R1">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54871029 |title=Man on the Land |newspaper=The Register |location=Adelaide |date=22 October 1926 |access-date=23 July 2014 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The homestead complex of buildings dates back to the 1860s.<ref name=disturbed/>

In 1865, the station overseer, John Edmondson, was lost in the bush.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138043469 |title=South Australia|newspaper=The Australasian |location=Melbourne, Victoria |date=25 November 1865 |access-date=24 July 2014 |page=12 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

A meteorite fell on the property in 1972.<ref name=disturbed/>

A police camp was established at Yardea in 1871–2 after being transferred from the nearby Paney Station homestead,{{cn|date=January 2022}} with a stone building constructed in 1873 to house the two police troopers. The police were withdrawn from the property in 1885, and the building was converted into a post office and telegraph station. After the direct telegraph link to Western Australia was established in 1903, it became a repeater station.<ref name=disturbed/>

By 1881 the property was owned by Main, Sells and Company, in which year it is recorded they sold 750 head of cattle and 7,000 wethers to A. Wooldridge of Arcoona Station.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91283773|title=Revision Court|date=1 October 1881|publisher=National Library of Australia|location=Adelaide|page=4|newspaper=South Australian Weekly Chronicle|access-date=24 July 2014}}</ref> In 1882 Main and Sells placed Yardea up for auction along with Wilgena Station. At that time, Yardea occupied an area of {{convert|1063|sqmi|km2|0}} and was stocked with 54,000 sheep.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43340177|title=Advertising.|date=8 September 1882|publisher=National Library of Australia|location=Adelaide|page=2|newspaper=South Australian Register|access-date=24 July 2014}}</ref>

In the early 1890s, the pastoral lease over Yardea expired. The run was deserted from that time. By 1901 the lease was still abandoned like many others in the area, but did have a caretaker. At this time the property was said to encompass an area of only {{convert|300|sqmi|km2|0}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54563462|title=Abandoned Pastoral Leases|date=8 December 1900|publisher=National Library of Australia|location=Adelaide|page=6|newspaper=South Australian Register|access-date=9 November 2014}}</ref>

The Station remained unlet until it was re-established by Andrew Tennant and James Moseley in 1904.<ref name="R1" /> James Moseley also acquired Paney Station, and made Paney Station part of Yardea Station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/4124ba12-a94d-4f04-a1e2-9e4f00b3c452/BROCHURE_GAWLER_RANGES.pdf|title=Gawler Ranges National Park|year=2012|access-date=5 July 2014|publisher=National Parks South Australia}}</ref>

In 1916, the property, now consisting of {{convert|1487|sqmi|km2|0}}, was sold to A.J. and P.A McBride after much improving of the property, for a sum of £72,000. At this time it was stocked with 40,000 sheep.<ref name="R1" /> In 1926, the McBrides cut the property into five blocks and sold three blocks by auction to Harry Bouily, and the other two to T. H. MacKay & Son of Thurlga Station.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47588056 |title=Out Among the People|newspaper=The Advertiser |location=Adelaide |date=19 February 1954 |access-date=24 July 2014 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==21st century== The site of the old Yardea police station and telegraph station is a few hundred metres to the east of the homestead. Yardea water, between the homestead buildings and the telegraph station, was an Aboriginal freshwater spring until the 1860s, now the main source of station water.<ref name=disturbed/>

In 2000, the State Government purchased the part of Yardea that had been Paney Station and converted it to Gawler Ranges National Park.{{cn|date=January 2022}}

===Locality=== The land occupying the extent of the Yardea pastoral lease was gazetted as a locality on 26 April 2013 under the name "Yardea".<ref name=PLB>{{cite web |title=Search result for " Yardea (LOCB)" (Record no SA0067231) with the following layers selected – "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)" |url=http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/ |work=Property Location Browser |publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=22 May 2016 |archive-date=12 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012010923/http://maps.sa.gov.au/plb/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Solar eclipses=== Yardea will see four total solar eclipses in the 21st century, on 4 December 2002, 25 November 2030, 26 December 2038, and 31 May 2068.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-22/total-solar-eclipse-when-where-australia/8813250|title=Missed the eclipse? Here's when you can see one in Australia|date=22 August 2017|work=ABC News|access-date=22 August 2017|language=en-AU}}</ref>

==See also== *List of ranches and stations

==References== {{Reflist}} {{Stations of South Australia}} Category:Stations in South Australia Category:Eyre Peninsula Category:Far North (South Australia)