Pastoral stations

Rio Tinto Iron Ore manages six pastoral stations in the Pilbara - Karratha, Hamersley, Rocklea, Juna, Yalleen and Yarraloola. Property management strategies for each station encompass all company policies with emphasis on safety, local heritage values, and natural resource conservation.

While managed by RTIO, the four pastoral properties of Karratha, Hamersley, Rocklea and Juna are owned by Hamersley Iron (HI).

Yalleen is owned by Robe River Iron Associates (RRIA) and sub-leased to Williambury Station (WA) Pty Ltd. Yarraloola is owned by the RRIA joint venture, a separate company to RRIA, through Yarraloola Pastoral Company.

Pastoral leases (stations) are held by the company for not only grazing purposes but also the wider intent of related primary industries business and training ventures with Traditional Owners and agencies, strategic access to exploration, future mining and production mining locations and to facilitate the construction, operation and maintenance of mining infrastructure.

The stations are operated as operational pastoral properties under the Land Administration Act, Western Australia. This practice allows RTIO to support the wider pastoral community by supporting (in some cases funding) and promoting research projects into sustainable land management techniques and passing on the information to other local pastoralists and vested government agencies.

The stations run about 23,200 head of cattle.