Van Rook
Established in 1883, 123 kilometres northeast of Normanton in Araba country on the Gilbert and Staaten Rivers in the Carpentaria Shire, the 590,500ha Van Rook Station is one of Queensland's largest cattle stations.
Although Van Rook is one of several landmarks, waterways and stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria region bearing Dutch names — Van Rook translates as 'of smoke' —17th-century Dutch navigators would not have penetrated this far inland.
Along with the nearby Dunbar and Strathmore runs, Van Rook went into liquidation in 1914; the Queensland Government bought the three properties and a fourth (Stirling) and 45,277 cattle for £263,000 in 1917.
A 1921 inspection tour of government-held properties found Van Rook's manager was so infirm that he rarely left the head station. "Consequently, cattle stealing was rife, and stock from adjoining properties ranged freely on the station." (Cohen, State Pastoral Stations..., p. 246).
VAN ROOK STATION. BRISBANE. March 16.
The vast extent of Van Rook State Station in the Gulf, and its remarkable fertility, were to-day remarked upon by the manager, Mr J . T. McCawley, who is at present on a visit to Brisbane. He said the station comprised 6000 square miles, and therefore was larger than Belgium. In addition, citrus fruits, bananas, mangoes, and pines were grown there. Some rain had fallen there recently, and there was splendid grass, available, but generally speaking another 20 inches was required in the Gulf to provide adequate water supplies for cattle. A finer type of children could be found nowhere than in the Normanton district, and some of the residents had lived in the locality all their lives. (Townsville Daily Bulletin, 17 March, 1927, p. 7 (Trove: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60737942?searchTerm=Van Rook)
Missing links:
Gilbert River
Staaten River
Dunbar
Strathmore
Stirling
