Development of the Rawlinna leases commenced in 1962, by the South Australian pastoral family of B.H. MacLachlan and his son, Hugh. Development centred on the Rawlinna siding on the Trans-Australian Railway and the homestead site was selected 11 kilometres west-south-west of the siding. In 1967 an extensive shearing complex, known as Depot Outstation, was built near the middle of the property. Depot Outstation comprises an overseer’s house, a 16-stand shearing shed and extensive shearers’ accommodation, mess and kitchen for approximately 50 people. Most buildings and stock water tanks are built of local limestone. About 20 people live on the station at any time.
Geographically the property’s western boundary is on the western edge of the Nullarbor Plain, the eastern boundary being on the plain proper, with the northern boundary abutting the east–west railway line and the southern bondary extending south to the Eyre Highway either side of Caiguna Roadhouse.
Rawlinna Station is an amalgamation of the Pondana, Rawlinna and Vanesk leases, totalling 1,046,600 ha – the largest sheep station in Western Australia. Rawlinna shears an average of 60,000 head and produces 1600 bales of wool. The maximum number shorn was 78,417 in 2001, producing a clip of 2177 bales.
To graze sheep successfully on the Nullarbor Plain it was necessary to build a three metre high dog- proof fence. Marsupial netting with 8 cm mesh and a 60 cm lap on the ground formed the design. The netting covers 370 km and there is a 900 km2 block adjoining the netting and the Eyre Highway which is dog-proof with a seven- wire solar powered electrical fence. Wethers are mostly run in the south.
As at the date of writing [2010] 37 bores produce stock water for 87 main paddocks, plus numerous holding paddocks. Bores are up to 140 m deep and water is pumped to the surface and in many cases distributed down an extensive pipeline system by large Comet and, to a lesser extent, Southern Cross windmills. The largest mills have 10 metre diameter wheels. Improvements anticipated for the future are dams to supplement the existing bores.
To help with limited and often unskilled labour, there is a 100 metre wide laneway extending the full length of the property, north and south from the Depot Outstation shed.
Rawlinna Station has been very well managed by successive managers since 1967, namely David Seaton, Murray McQuie and Ross Wood who retired in 2007 and was succeeded by Michael Simons.