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The partnership owns and operates four rural properties, with the principal property being Todmorden Station, a Pastoral Lease, located along the Oodnadatta Track, between Oodnadatta and Marla, which is in the North West of South Australia. The other properties are located in the Mid North region of South Australia are Hillview and Glengarry, which are south of Snowtown, adjacent to Highway One. Walaki is a little further south of Snowtown, to the south of Lochiel.
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The mail service is weekly from Alice Springs with the service provided by an aerial contractor. The homestead complex is quite large with the owner’s house, staff kitchen, staff quarters, mechanical workshop, garages, hanger, store room, butchering area and gardens. Most food supplies are brought in 1,100 kilometres from Adelaide and stored in a Cold Room and Deep Freezers. It’s important to order in advance and have enough food. Beef is the main meat consumed and is slaughtered on the station.

Staff numbers vary but it is usually between 5 to 8 persons. There are usually 3 to 4 station hands, Cook/Housekeeper and Plant Operator. From time to time it is necessary to engage contractors to clean out dams, build cattle yards or to further assist with cattle mustering.

Todmorden has six Land Systems as identified by the Marla /Oodnadatta Soil Conservation Board, as described in its District Plan.

This Land System is located to the northern part of Todmorden Station. It consists of parallel sand dunes running north-east to south-west, with interdune flats up to one kilometre wide. Soil type consists of deep red sands on the dunes to shallower red sands over clayey limestone rubbles on the interdune flats. Vegetation is dominated by dense Mulga woodland with an occasional Sandhill Grevillea and Cookwood. Understory grasses include Wollybutt, Neverfail and Bandicoot Grass. Cattle can survive in this area during prolonged dry periods grazing ‘Top Feed’ like Mulga, but do not gain weight readily.

The Alberga Land System includes the Alberga Creek, associated depositional flats which extend further to sand plains. Soil types consist of gravelly sands along the course of the Alberga Creek with sandy silty clay along the depositional flats. The sand plains consist of shallow red sands over calcareous rubbles. River red Gums and Coolibah predominate along the course of the Alberga Creek with Silky Brown Top being the main perennial grass. The depositional flats and sand plains support some Coolibah but Mulga, Ironwood, Dead Finish and Marpoo are the main over story species. Grasses include Kerosene, Mulga, Limestone Bottle Washers and some Mitchell Grass. After flooding this Land system is highly productive cattle country, with high ephemeral vegetation growth as well.

This is the largest Land System found on Todmorden Station. It consists of undulating gibber tablelands with numerous gilgais being intersected by and extensive drainage system being the North and South Neales. Soils are either deep red or brown clays, the landscape is covered with reddish gibber stones. Gilgais vary in size from only a few metres to approximately 10 metres in diameter. Following rain gilgais “pond” water, promote plant growth and are highly productive. The gibber table lands support Oodnadatta Saltbush with Mitchell Grass, Neverfail and Flinders Grass. The creeks support Gidgea as the upper story species with Cotton Bush and an abundance of annual species after flooding. Cattle do well in this area, particularly after rain.

This Land System is found on the western side of Todmorden Station and consists of stony tablelands with gilgais. There is also an extensive plateau system as well. Major drainage areas include the Coongra Creek, which contains many waterholes. Soil type is similar to the Oodnadatta Land System, but the stones are larger and more tightly packed. Bladder Saltbush and Mitchell Grass dominate the stony tablelands with River Red Gum, Coolibah, Mulga and Dead Finish along the creeks. This area isn’t as productive as the Oodnadatta Land System, but the series of waterholes along the Coongra Creek allow cattle to spread over a large area.

The Breakaway Land System is found on the south western part of Todmorden Station. It consists of silcrete capped hills with a mix of land gibber flats. The slopes are made up of eroding shales which are variously coloured. The area has an extensive drainage system which feeds into the Neales. Upper story vegetation includes Mulga and Northern Myall. Bladder Saltbush and Mitchell Grass dominate lower story vegetation. Small numbers of catlle do well in this area and it has good ‘run off’ capabilities enabling water to flow easily into drainage systems like the Neales.

Wooldridge land system contains a combination of calcareous open flats, wide braided watercourses, circular sand dunes and clay pans. Bladder Salt Bush with low blue bush cover the flats with Mulga, Tall Kerosene and Limestone Bottle Washers the main grasses. The watercourses support Coolibah, Gidgea and Mulga. Lower story vegetation inlcude Cottonbush, Queensland Bluebush and a host of annuals after periodic flooding. This area is the most productive area on Todmorden Station for cattle as it responds quickly following rain.

The Snowtown properties enable us a greater degree of market flexibility with various types/classes of cattle drafted to suit specific market requirements. Oaten or a combination of pastures are used to provide hay for Todmorden Station (to be used as part of our weaning program) and for the Snowtown properties. Hay is usually cut and baled during late September or October. The grain crop is a winter crop with harvest being during November or December, depending on seasonal conditions.

Cattle grazing at Snowtown