Wrotham Park shares the developments of its 150 year history

Owned by Consolidated Pastoral Company, Wrotham Park is located 80 kilometres west of Chillagoe, and managed by Simon and Kirsty Cobb.

The commercial beef operation spans across 600,000 hectares and is situated on two major river systems, the Mitchell and the Walsh.

Wrotham Park was one of the first stations in the area to be settled when Alexander Charles Grant bought Shorthorn and Hereford cattle and formed the station in 1873.

According to CPC, the original herd struggled with ticks and many escaped and became wild cattle, with decedents of the original herd still there today.

CPC chief executive officer Troy Setter said the herd had grown and developed over the years.

"The property was changed to a predominately Brahman based herd through the 90s and early 2000s and in 2015 we started buying Brangus and Ultrablack bulls as well as some African composite bulls," Mr Setter said.

"Today it's a Brahman based herd with Brangus cross females coming through. The herd will move to having about 25 to 40 per cent Angus content in the next few years."

CPC purchased Wrotham Park in 2009 and has worked on water development, fencing and livestock development to improve the quality and productivity of property.

"We run about 50,000 branded cattle, the property has been developed a lot over the years to allow to do that," Mr Setter said.

"We join our heifers at the start of the wet season each year and then after that is continuous joining throughout the year and segregate with pregnancy testing.

"Our big focus is around fertility and productivity in the breeding herd, because it is a calf factory."

Mr Setter said through the backgrounding process about 90 per cent of steers and surplus heifers were sent to feedlots in Queensland initially and about 10 per cent go to live export.

"We send stock to two of our Central Queensland properties, Isis Downs near Longreach and Jimarndy near Middlemount and we send some surplus cattle from time-to-time to Newcastle Waters in the Northern Territory," he said.

"Cull cows are sent directly to Townsville and Rockhampton abattoirs with cattle live exported from there to Indonesia and Vietnam."

In conjunction with cattle operations, Wrotham Park has also seen developments in cropping.

"The region is known for light soils, however with the river systems through the property, it has high-quality black soil plans that have seen cropping trials throughout the years," Mr Setter said.

"In the 50s there was cropping on the black soil plains where they grew sorghum and a bit of horticulture. In the 70s it was trialed again with old english style farming.

"Two years ago we grew the first large scale cotton and sorghum crops on the property and we continue to develop this today."

Mr Setter said it was great to recognise the growth and development of Wrotham Park over its 150 years and it was important to celebrate that history.

"We celebrated the milestone with the Walsh Office horse and foot races," he said.

"Many year ago they had horse races on the Walsh River called Walsh Office, where there is an old telegraph office.

"In about 2011 or 2012 we got those bush races going again and we celebrated there with 300 patrons this year.

"It is bush races so all the horses have to be grass-fed station horses in tradition of how the even was established."

Mr Setter said patrons included local stations, family of current staff in the area and former station managers and workers from about the last 50 years.