The Legend of Mt White Station

The Legend of Mt White Station by Gerald Sandrey

The diverse and desolate country that makes up Mt White Station has held an irresistible allure for men for decades. Many have committed themselves to the extreme weather and isolation of the place only to finally admit defeat, while others have endured, raising families and forming bonds with their fellow station workers and the land itself.

From the Riversdale flats to the Puketeraki and Dampier ranges on the Lochinvar estate in the Upper Waimakariri catchment, Mt White has been one of the most successful operating stations since the Long Depression of the 1880s. Spanning 40,000 hectares, it is the largest privately owned landholding in the country.

The Turnbull family, who live 200 kilometres away from the station, have owned Mt White for almost 100 years. The key to their success has no doubt been the careful appointment of skilled managers made of the right stuff to handle this volatile and isolated terrain. They’ve never had to advertise for staff; Mt White station’s isolation, mystique and sheer size, has drawn musterers to work it since 1858.

From the managers, musterers, shepherds, shearers, packmen, fencers, deer-cullers, cooks, cowboys and the wives and children who have worked and lived there, Mt White has certainly attracted its share of colourful characters and high country legends.

This stunning, full colour, hard-back book pays homage to men and women who have lived and worked at Mt White station, and to its rugged and beautiful landscape.

About the author:

GERALD SANDREY was raised on a South Canterbury farm, and as well as being as a journalist, has spent his life working on the land. After assisting with a few small fencing projects on Mt White, he became fascinated by the station and jumped at the opportunity to write its history.

The Legend of Mt White Station by Gerald Sandrey  |  Mary Egan Publishing  |  Published  21 October 2015  |  rrp. $60