Cubbie Station, located near Dirranbandi, Australia, is the largest privately owned (Cubbie Group) irrigation property in the southern hemisphere.
The station was created by amalgamating 12 floodplain properties to give Cubbie a total of 51 water licences[1]. Its huge water storage dams stretch for more than 28 km along the Culgoa River, part of the Murray-Darling system. In an average year the Station uses 200,000 megaliters of water, in a good year as much as 500,000 megalitres.
The water is used to supply 130 square kilometres of irrigated cotton and other crops including wheat, which brings in about $50 million a year.[2]
In 2006 the dams were filled to 1% capacity allowing for only 2 km² of cotton planting [1]
The station is often derided for its large water usage requirements in a time of extreme drought in Australia and damage to the Murray Darling river system [3]
The station's irrigation license allows it to take 460,000 megalitres. This is enough water to fill Sydney Harbour. It is the equivalent of all irrigation entitlements downstream in north-western NSW. [4]
The previous Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull did not rule out its acquisition by the government.[5][6]
