Australia's most northerly cattle station will be converted to national park

This station was the most northerly in Australia.

Again it is the Queensland government which has emerged as the buyer of the 131,900 hectare (325,932 acre) Bramwell Station on Cape York as reported on by Queensland Country Life last year.

The government says it is the largest land acquisition for conservation in Queensland in a decade.

The government's $11.5 million buyout comes hot on the heels of the purchase of 35,300 hectare (87,228 acre) Lakes Station, a cattle station west of Townsville.

Announced earlier this month, the government said adding the Lakes Station, 100 kilometres north of Hughenden to the state's national parks, would be followed by more this year.

The NSW government last year bought two big outback stations - Avenel (Mt Westwood) and Koonaburra totalling 166,924ha - to turn them into national parks.

One of them was once owned by the cattle king Sir Sidney Kidman.

The Avenel (Mt Westwood) station was the second largest buy by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in the state's history.

In Queensland, the Environment and Science Department swooped on Bramwell, (Richardson) a cattle station and eco tourism facility after if was passed in for $11.3 million in an online auction last year. The eventual selling price was $11.5m.

Like the purchase of the Lakes Station, US charity The Wyss Foundation, set up by Swiss billionaire Hansjrg Wyss, has chipped in to pay for Bramwell, up to $2.4m.

The Federal government is also providing almost $2m.

Bramwell Station also incorporates Richardson pastoral lease, a government spokeswoman confirmed.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said conservation was vital when it comes to tackling climate change and supporting the local tourism industry.

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the property would return to First Nations ownership and management through negotiation as part of the highly successful Cape York Peninsula Tenure Resolution Program.

The area includes significant, undisturbed ecosystems and habitat that will become part of the protected area estate, she said.

Ms Scanlon said the existing Junction Roadhouse on Richardson Station at the intersection of the Bamaga Road and the start of the Old Telegraph Track would remain.

The roadhouse and tourist park are vital to the local economy and the tourism industry and we will ensure provisions are made to allow these facilities to continue operating, Ms Scanlon said.

The purchase price was supported by a grant brokered by The Nature Conservancy Australia, from the Wyss Foundation.

The purchase builds on the 10-year Queenslands Protected Area Strategy 2020-2030, a major plan for supporting the growth, management and sustainability of national parks and other protected areas.

Queensland now counts among its protected areas more than 14 million hectares including national parks, conservation parks, nature refuges and special wildlife reserves.

Two hours north of Weipa or Archer River and just four hours south of "The Tip", Bramwell Station is well known by visitors to the Cape.

It was first taken up as a pastoral lease in the early 1930s by Frank Monighan.

The station has developed a tourist sideline with a roadhouse, self-contained room accommodation, campgrounds and new Tourist Park Bar and kitchen complex.

Positioned at the start of the famous Old Telegraph Line four-wheel-drive track, Bramwell was offered by Wendy Kozicka and Vince Bowyer, who have owned the property for the past 20 years.

MORE READING: Quality cattle country close to Rockhampton.

The offering includes multi-income streams from cattle, a tourist park, roadhouse and carbon credits. There is about 55,000ha of country divided into 11 paddocks.

Bramwell's carbon credit scheme generates more than of $150,000 a year in income.

The purchase price of the Lakes Station was not disclosed but the government revealed $1.829 million of the "multi-million dollar purchase" was paid by The Wyss Foundation.

At almost half the size, the nearby 16,060ha (39,685ac) Sandalwood station sold at auction for $7.2 million last year.

Nature Conservancy Australia also helped secure the Wyss charity's involvement in The Lakes' sale.

It is understood the Lakes Station deal took two years to negotiate and the station had been owned by the same family for generations.

That property was fenced into four large paddocks and has been marketed for sale as a "good breeder block". There was no house on the property.

The government has indicated the former beef property would likely be opened to the public in the future.

Queensland Opposition MP Sam O'Connor attacked the government for rolling out old news, reported on last August.

"At the current rate conservation groups estimate it will take Queensland 1000 years to reach the governments current protected areas target of 17 per cent," the MP said.

Start the day with all the big news in agriculture! Sign up below to receive our daily Farmonline newsletter.