William James Browne

William James Browne, MRCS (1815 – 4 December 1894), generally referred to as Dr. Browne, was a grazier and pastoralist in South Australia who was born and died in England. His brother, John Harris Browne, was a noted explorer and pastoralist in the same colony.

William Browne was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, the son of Benjamin Browne, a country gentleman who died in 1821, and his wife Anna, née Cotell. His brother, J. Harris Browne (22 April 1817 – 12 January 1904) and sister Anna (1812-1873) arrived in South Australia on the Orleanna in 1840. Anna married Joseph Gilbert (1800–1881) of Pewsey Vale on 21 January 1848.

He was educated for the medical profession in Paris and Edinburgh, graduating in 1838.

Browne travelled to South Australia as assistant surgeon in the ship Buckinghamshire, arriving on 5 December 1835. Although registered to practise medicine in South Australia, he turned to agricultural pursuits on land he purchased at Pewsey Vale with Joseph Gilbert. His brother Joseph Gilbert Browne and sister Anna (1812-1873) arrived in 1840 and together they ran a leasehold property at Lyndoch, then Booboorowie, steadily increasing their stockholding. Apart from huge tracts of land they leased or squatted on, they purchased significant properties: Buckland Park in 1856, "Moorak" at Mount Gambier in 1862 and Booboorowie in 1863. The partnership was dissolved around 1865. At one stage they were South Australia's largest producers of wool. As a pastoralist he did valuable work in experimenting with grasses and fodder plants, and with fine wools from crossbred Lincoln and Merino sheep. Among station properties which Dr. Browne held were Mikkira, Booboorowie, Spring Vale (or Springvale) Station near Katherine, managed by Alfred Giles and Delamere. A. T. Woods was his agent who managed the forward party in 1879, then in 1880 Giles and his brother Arthur, with H. Pinder, Hart, Needham, Martin, C. Lees, T. Pearce and others, drove 6000 head of cattle, 300 horses and 14,000 sheep from Adelaide, when, despite their undoubted expertise, 6000 of the sheep perished. The stations were never profitable and by the time Browne disposed of these assets he had lost around £80,000.

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