The company equipped the barque Warrier in Melbourne and had intended to sail to Roebuck Bay to settle in another area but following a succession of calms the ship had to land at Cossack when the stock started to die of dehydration.
Upon landing the group decided to trek south west and eventually squatted at Mardie Springs.
[2] Richardson maintained an interest in Mardie over the next 30 years and invested in other nearby properties including Oakabella, Tallering and Boodarie Stations.
[5] The station was hard hit by flooding in 1894 when the Fortescue River, usually about 10 miles (16 km) away from the homestead, rose to within metres of the front door.
[8] Stock must be quarantined in paddocks free of mesquite so the seeds can pass through their guts before they can be moved on to prevent the pest from spreading further.
Fences were swept away, roads were cut and cattle were stranded when 150 millimetres (6 in) of rain fell in a few hours.