Pastoral Stations 1901-1939 continued

The cattle stations of the Kimberley were established in the 1880s and by 1917 held herds of 700,000, a number not surpassed until 1975. The main problem for pastoralists, especially those running cattle in the Kimberley, was in getting their stock from their stations to market. Most cattle were droved to the ports of Broome, Wyndham and Derby before being shipped to Perth, where they would often arrive in poor condition.
The opening of the overland Canning Stock Route from the East Kimberley to Wiluna helped reduce costs for pastoralists, while the establishment of the State Shipping Service in 1912 helped with the transportation of wool and general supplies to often isolated pastoral stations.