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Women of Beef

Sara Henderson: The Author Who Rebuilt Bullo River Station After Her Husband's Death

She arrived at a remote Northern Territory cattle station in 1963, inherited its debts and turned her story into a best-selling book.

Who Was Sara Henderson?

Sara Jane Henderson was born on September 15, 1936, and became one of Australia's best-known pastoralists and memoirists. Her Wikipedia biography describes her as an Australian pastoralist and author who died on April 29, 2005, in Caloundra, Queensland. She is remembered for running Bullo River Station in the Northern Territory and for the books she wrote about the experience.

A Remote Station on the Victoria River

Bullo River Station is a pastoral lease and cattle station near the Western Australian border, about 78 kilometers north-west of Timber Creek and 115 kilometers north-east of Kununurra, with the Victoria River running through it. It covers about 1,627 square kilometers and lies on the traditional lands of the Mariu people. Raymond Locke was granted the lease in June 1960, and he and Barbara Locke pioneered the property, building bores, fencing and an airstrip and running more than 1,000 Shorthorn cattle, according to the Bullo River Station article.

Sara and her American husband, Charles, bought the property from the Lockes in 1963 and moved there that year. They had three daughters: Marlee, Bonnie and Danielle.

Debt, Widowhood and the Rebuild

Charles died in 1985 by one source and in 1986 by another, so sources differ by a year. Either way, the station was left more than $750,000 in debt, according to the Wikipedia biography. Sara ran the station with her three daughters and rebuilt the business, work that earned her the Businesswoman of the Year award in 1991.

The station today can support a herd of more than 9,000 Brahman cattle, a breed suited to the hot, tropical country of the Northern Territory.

Writing About Station Life

Henderson became an author as well, and the biography page lists her titles. Her first book, From Strength to Strength, appeared in 1992 by one dating and 1993 by another. She followed it with The Strength in Us All (1994), Outback Wisdom: Sara Looks at Life (1995), Some of My Friends Have Tails (1995), A Year at Bullo (1997) and The Strength of Our Dreams (1998). The books made her a public figure beyond the cattle industry.

Sale, Family Dispute and Ownership Since

Henderson later decided to sell the station and retire to Queensland. She and her eldest daughter, Marlee, had a publicized falling out followed by legal proceedings. Marlee and her husband, Franz Ranacher, acquired Bullo River Station in 2001 and held it until 2015.

In 2011, during the live export ban, Marlee led a protest to Canberra, and she then survived a plane crash while mustering from the air; the insurance payout on the aircraft kept the property viable until market conditions improved. In 2015 Grant Farris bought the leasehold and about 7,000 head of cattle for A$9.5 million, and he and partner Grant McLeary announced about A$1 million in redevelopment for cattle and tourism.

The Key to Her Success

Henderson's story is often told as a rescue, but the record shows specific choices rather than luck. The points below stay within what the sources report.

They also include the limits of the story, because the family dispute is part of the public record.

  • She stayed on a remote lease after the death of her husband rather than selling into a debt of more than $750,000.
  • She worked with her three daughters, turning the station into a family business and rebuilding it.
  • She ran a Brahman herd, a breed that suits the northern climate, on a property large enough to carry more than 9,000 head.
  • She told her story in print, with six books that gave her a platform and income beyond cattle.
  • She used her public profile for a health cause, serving as a spokesperson for BreastScreen Australia after her own diagnosis in 2000.
  • A fair note on the limits: the sale of the station led to a public rift with her eldest daughter and legal proceedings.

Legacy

Sara Henderson died in 2005, but her books remain a record of life on a Territory cattle station. For more on Australian cattle country, the ranching section of farm.FM covers beef at home and abroad, and a farm.FM story about an outback cattle station is a good companion read.

Timeline

  1. 1936Born on September 15
  2. 1960Raymond Locke is granted the Bullo River lease in June
  3. 1963Sara and Charles Henderson buy Bullo River Station and move there
  4. 1985Charles Henderson dies; some sources give 1986
  5. 1991Henderson wins Businesswoman of the Year
  6. 2000Diagnosed with breast cancer and later becomes a BreastScreen Australia spokesperson
  7. 2001Marlee and Franz Ranacher acquire the station
  8. 2005Henderson dies on April 29 in Caloundra, Queensland
  9. 2015Grant Farris buys the station for A$9.5 million

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sara Henderson?

Sara Henderson (1936-2005) was an Australian pastoralist and author who ran Bullo River cattle station in the Northern Territory and wrote From Strength to Strength.

What is Bullo River Station?

It is a Northern Territory cattle station of about 1,627 square kilometers near the Western Australian border, on the Victoria River, which can carry more than 9,000 Brahman cattle.

How did Sara Henderson rebuild Bullo River Station?

After her husband Charles died, leaving the station more than $750,000 in debt, she and her three daughters rebuilt the business, and she won Businesswoman of the Year in 1991.

Who owns Bullo River Station now?

Grant Farris bought the leasehold and about 7,000 cattle in 2015 for A$9.5 million, according to Wikipedia. Ownership may have changed since.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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