 However, some of Australia's largest and best known sheep stations had been established in the area from 1864.Rodney Downs, Portland Downs, Beaconsfield and Wellshot were the original holdings in what later became the Shire of Ilfracombe.From September 1891 Ilfracombe was a strategic railhead for teamster's traffic, positioned close to the final terminus of the Central Western railway line at Longreach to capture road traffic from the large stations toward Aramac and Muttaburra in the north, and to the lower Barcoo in the south.