Who we are
Before European settlement, the area was home to the Wakka Wakka people, from whose language the station gets its name. Goondicum is thought to mean ‘land of big mountain’ and ‘big boss’, in tribute to Mt Goondicum.
Goondicum Station is a fifth-generation beef cattle property, owned by the Campbell family since at least the 1860s. It was first surveyed in 1892, with the original tenure being granted as a grazing homestead lease.
In the early years of the 20th century, the Campbell brothers, Thomas and Eric, pioneered the farming of beef cattle in what had been sheep country. Herefords and short horns initially replaced 7000 head of sheep, which had been tended by seven Chinese shepherds. The remnants of original sheep yards still stand near the homestead today.
A 1931 Brisbane Courier report that detailed the rise of Thomas and Eric described the brothers as a `well respected and public-spirited’ pair who ‘never sacrificed quality for quantity’.
The Campbell family aren’t just pioneers of what is produced at Goondicum but, more importantly, how it’s produced. In the 1920s and ‘30s, their pastoral lease required ringbarking, reflecting the poor environmental attitudes widespread in the day. Decades on the land helped the Campbells realise how this mindset was short-sighted and uneconomical. In 1957, Bruce and Roseanne Campbell moved to Goondicum, bringing their vision for an environmentally sustainable beef business. It was far-sighted for the time and has proved a robust business model.
During the years they ran the family business, Bruce and Roseanne returned vast areas of the property to native forest to preserve wildlife habitats of national significance. Bruce impressed upon his son, Robert, that each generation must strive to leave the land in better condition than when they started working on it.
Robert and Nadia are proud to enhance that legacy today by adopting and constantly refining sustainable farming practices.