Mundi Mundi

Mundi Mundi is located in New South Wales
Mundi Mundi
Mundi Mundi
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Location in New South Wales

31°53′06″S 141°02′17″E / 31.885°S 141.038°E / -31.885; 141.038 (Mundi Mundi)

Mundi Mundi Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a sheep station in New South Wales.

The property is situated approximately 41 kilometres (25 mi) west of Broken Hill and 142 kilometres (88 mi) north west of Menindee.

Mundi Mundi is one of the four original stations in the Barrier Range settled through the early 1870s along with Mount Gipps, Corona and Alberta Stations.[1] The property was established by the Whitting family who were running stock in the area from the 1860s when the property had an occupied an area of 372,000 acres (150,543 ha).[2] The Whittings were running sheep but also were raising horses.[3] The family were the first Europeans to settle in the Barrier Range and their daughter, Tryphena, was the first European to be born in the area.[2]

John Lewis had cattle stolen from the property in 1901.[4] Lewis still owned the property in 1906 when he and other pastoralists in the area formed the Pastoralists' Association of West Darling.[2] Lewis had also once owned other runs such as Nilpena, Wirrealpa and Nelyambo.[5]

In 1930 the property was carrying 12,000 sheep.[6]

Following a drought in 1943 the station manager, J. D. Kelly, sold off 7,100 sheep from the property leaving a flock of 9,000.[7]

In the late 1970s the Crown lease for Mundi Mundi had come up for review. The government decided that this prime grazing land – which had been so well managed with stock rotation, compared to aerial photographs of the adjoining properties – would not benefit from renewing the Crown Lease. The adjoining properties would however benefit, as they were in such dire state, the government was convinced they could become more viable if each took a portion of the Mundi Mundi Station land. In effect, the careful management of the Mundi Mundi Station property was not rewarded. The property at that time was owned by Innes and Colin McLeod, (he being the heir of M.S. McLeod, the tyre and rubber family from Adelaide). His wife Innes McLeod simultaneously ran the Silverton Hotel until 2021 when she sold it, aged 80 years of age. The formal compulsory acquisition process commenced for Mundi Mundi Station around 1978-79 and the services of A.J. Schutz & Associates (valuers from Adelaide) assessed the property on behalf of McLeod for compensation.

The 1999 Jimeoin film The Craic is set in Mundi Mundi, although the "Mundi Mundi Pub" is actually the nearby Silverton Hotel. In addition, at the beginning of Mad Max 2 (a movie set in a post-apocalyptic world) - a sign with "Mundi Mundi Lookout" can be seen as Max collects petrol.

  1. ^ "Eldee Station – Station History". Eldee Station. 2012. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "History". The Pastoralists’ Association of West Darling. 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  3. ^ "River District Notes". South Australian Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 20 May 1875. p. 5. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Cattle stealing on Mundi Mundi". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, New South Wales: National Library of Australia. 10 December 1901. p. 2. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Lewis, John (1857–1922)". Obituaries Australia. Australian National University. 1922. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Shearing at Mundi Mundi". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, New South Wales: National Library of Australia. 1 September 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  7. ^ "Mundi Mundi". The Western Grazier. Wilcannia, New South Wales: National Library of Australia. 17 December 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 15 June 2014.