B2R39-01 Mary and Bridge Mrs Crocker at Balladonia HS 24th Mar 1967

see www.esperancehistory.com.au/story/balladonia-homestead/ History The name is an Aboriginal word meaning "big rock by itself".[2] The area was settled by Europeans in 1879, and the original Balladonia homestead was built 28 kilometres (17 mi) away from the present townsite. From 1897 to 1929, Balladonia was a telegraph station on the East-West Telegraph, a telegraph line running from Perth to Adelaide telegraph line, due to a previous coastal line being shorted by salt spray from the Southern Ocean.[citation needed] The arid climate and lack of suitable water sources restricted the town's development.[citation needed] In July 1979, the area gained worldwide attention when the re-entry of the Skylab space station left a trail of debris across the nearby countryside.[3] From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balladonia,_Western_Australia Balladonia Station Balladonia Station is a pastoral lease, originally run as a sheep station, adjacent to Noondoonia Station to the north, and Nanambinia Station to the south of the Eyre Highway. The station was visited and written about in a newspaper in 1924, and the reflections on the conditions at that time included concern about rabbits.[4] By the 1930s, the homestead of the station was notable for its substantial size and architecture.[5] An earlier photograph in the 1890s reveals the stone walls in the vicinity of the homestead, and a possible earlier stage of the homestead building.[6] During most of the twentieth century the station was a popular stopping place on the Eyre Highway.[7] In 2012, the property was converted into a cattle station, and the old shearing shed was no longer used for its original purpose.[8] In September 2019 the 671,277-hectare (1,658,760-acre) pastoral lease known as the Balladonia Aggregation, comprising four stations – Balladonia, Nanambinia, Woorlba, and Noondoonia – was sold. It had been advertised for A$8,500,000, including all stock, comprising 5,300 head of cattle.[9] In September 2021, the station was operated by John Croker.[10]