Durrie Station

John Conrick, who explored the region in 1874, recorded that a recent Native Police raid had resulted in the deaths of 43 Aboriginal people near Thundaperty waterhole.

A stockman named John "Johnny-cake" Miller escaped being speared and rode 90 miles to the nearest Native Police camp at McKinlay Downs.

[8][9][10][11] "Johnny-cake" Miller later became a famous station manager for Sidney Kidman, while Sub-Inspector Henry Kaye was killed in a skirmish with Aboriginal people in 1881 in the north of the colony.

[14] In around 1908, when it consisted of an area of 2,000 square miles (5,180 km2), Durrie was taken up by William Naughton, a prominent pastoralist of the time, who stocked it over the course of two years with 8,000 head of cattle.

Kidman estimated that he lost 60,000 head on his properties in the Channel Country like Durrie, Diamantina Lakes, Durham Downs, Morney Plains and Carrawilla.

The McAuley family, who were living at the homestead, had to seek higher ground,[19] and camped on a nearby sandhill for a week until the floodwaters receded.