OUTBACK STATIONS
A pastoral vision
Yarram Park has historical, cultural and pastoral significance for Australia.
It is also a beloved home for loyal employees, some of whom have retired
on the Victorian station after 40 years of service.
Story Richard Zachariah Photos Lizzi O'Connor
Gazing into the fierce afternoon light towards Mount William and the stark blue Grampians, it's tempting to think that Yarram Park is the central core of Australia. For this is 'The Land of the Golden Fleece', the setting for Sir Arthur Streeton's three versions of the classic scene that hang in the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Gallery of Australia and the private collection of a Sydney club. These iconic paintings taught a generation of Australians that they were not living in an English landscape, that this is a blue and gold country where gums are just as significant as oaks and our bleached pastures are things of beauty.
Yarram Park is a major history lesson. As well as harbouring the location
of Streeton's 1926 panoramic vision of post-World War I peace and prosperity,
the property is of great importance to the pastoral industry. It is one of
Victoria's largest working sheep and cattle station and has remained in the
hands of the Baillieu family, the influential Melbourne finance and grazing
dynasty, for the past 55 years. 
Full story Issue 34 April/May 2004
