The northern territory police magazine $4 c tat

By J. D.

UNTIL znd October, 1963, Avon Downs Police District was known as the " Rankine River Police District ". On 2nd October, 1963, the buildings at Rankine River, which had served as a Police Station since the early part of this century, were handed over to the Animal Industry Branch for a Stock Inspector's residence, and the Police moved into one of the most modern and up to date one-man Police Stations. in Australia, situated approximately too yards off the Barkly Highway, at Avon Downs.

Avon Downs Police Station is constructed of brick and concrete, the three-bedroom residence is about 70 feet from the Police Office, Cells and Tracker's Quarters.

About one mile South of the Police Station is situated the Avon Downs Station Homestead, which is another very up to date and modern building. About twenty whites and forty-odd Aboriginals reside and work at Avon Downs Cattle Station. The area of Avon Downs is 1,536 square miles with about 18,000 head of cattle.

The Avon Downs Police District embraces a number of cattle stations which are mainly situated on the Barkly Tablelands, the biggest being Alexandria Downs Station which is 11,5oo square miles, the biggest cattle station in the world. (Alexandria Downs has over 66,000 cattle on its books, and 20,000 calves were branded in one recent year). Other cattle stations are Alroy Downs, which is about 2,963 square miles; Rockhampton Downs, 1,996 square miles, and portion of Rocklands cattle station of about 1,389 square miles. The main part of Rocklands

L. Wilson

Station lies inside Queensland, and Rocklands Homestead is situated about five miles from Camooweal. Gallipoli Station, near the Queensland border, and Soudan Station, situated next to the Barkly Highway, are included in the Alexandria Downs Station area as these two are out-stations of Alexandria Downs.

In conjunction with Anthony's Lagoon Police Station, Avon Downs Police also patrol and attend to matters in the proposed Wollogorang Police District. A Police Station is to be built at Wollogorang in the near future. Until this Police Station is built, both Anthony's Lagoon and Avon Downs Police attend to any matters which may and do arise in this area, where a number of small cattle stations are situated. The largest of the cattle stations in the new Police District is Wollogorang Station, which runs cattle only and is worked by a handful of whites and aboriginals. About fifty-five miles North-west of Wollo-gorang Station is situated Calvert Hills Station, which is also run by a handful of whites and a large number of aboriginals. Another sixty-odd miles further North-west is situated Robinson River Station. This is considered the best of all the stations in the Wollogorang Police District and is by far the most beautiful, as far as the surrounding scenery is concerned. At Robinson River can be found a variety of large trees, beautiful hills covered in growth and numerous fresh water streams. In fact, the Robinson River Station site is the pick of the Wollo-gorang Police District, insofar as living conditions for the area are concerned.

FIREARMS