36km from Ilfracombe · 12 sites · Tents, RVs · Longreach, QLDGoodberry Hills is a 40,000 acre working cattle property 37 kilometers north east of Longreach in Central Western Queensland. The property is operated by your hosts the Deane family, Jenny, Rowley, Jess, Phillip and Billy. Our family has been in the area since 1872 and have owned Goodberry Hills since 1950.
Guests staying with us must be fully self contained with their own toilet/shower facilities and must take all waste and rubbish with them on departure.
Well behaved pets who remain under control at all times are allowed, a two bay dog kennel will be set up near the goat yards on your way into the campsites to provide campers with a safe space to leave their pets if they are spending the day doing tourist activities in the area (it is up to the owner of the pets to ensure the water dishes in the kennels are kept full if they plan to use them). Campfires permitted in the fire pits provided.
Our family came to the district in 1872 when Rowley's Great, Great, Great Grandfather Rowland Edkins arrived at Mt Cornish to take up the managers position. Mt Cornish was established from half of the original Bowen Downs holding to enable improved management after Harry Redford (Captain Starlight) stole the mob of cattle and took them to South Australia. The country around Goodberry Hills is where the cattle were stolen from. There is a small hill across the river from the campground known as Starlights Lookout, from where legend has it, Harry Redford would watch the movements of the station stockmen so he could time his raids for when they were unlikely to be about.
When the big stations were resumed in 1879 and put to Ballot the family drew several blocks in the district, the main one being Bimbah where family members have lived ever since. Rowley is the fifth generation of the family to call Bimbah home. Goodberry Hills and Bimbah are now operated as one Property.
Goodberry Hills was purchased by Rowley's parents in 1950. From then until recently the property ran sheep and cattle as part of an amalgamation of five holdings totalling 90,000 acres. The annual shearing produced around 620 bales of 21 micron wool from 25,000 sheep which were shorn at the Goodberry Hills Woolshed in July each year. A herd of 500 breeding cows were also run with their progeny being grown out to feeders (cattle about 400Kg liveweight ready for entry to feedlots) at around 18 months of age.
We now operate Bimbah and Goodberry Hills totalling 40,000 acres running only cattle, with a herd of 300 Charbray Cross Breeding Cows and their progeny through to feeders and depending on the season up to 600 backgrounders (Weaner cattle purchased at around 200kg liveweight and grown to around 400kg liveweight ready for sale to feedlots).
