John Costello

John Costello (31 March 1838 – 25 February 1923) was a pioneer and pastoralist in outback Queensland.

Early life

Born in Yass, New South Wales, Costello was the fifth child of Michael and Mary Costello. His father was a store-keeper and grazier who had come to Australia with his wife from Ireland in 1837. All four of his siblings died en route to Australia, the family later had a daughter named Mary. The family had settled in Yass in 1851 after selling their store and acquired in the area. Costello quickly became a renowned stockman. with 100 cattle. In 1869 both drought and depression were taking their toll on the state but Costello continued to acquire lands around the Channel Country and lightly stock them. The 1870s saw better seasons in the area and buyers moved in to acquire land controlled by Costello and Durack. Costello himself held leases over of lands through the Channel Country of Queensland.

In 1877 Costello sold Kyabra and bought a racing stud, Cawarral, near Rockhampton and another property near Gladstone. But in 1879 he went back to the bush and acquired Lake Nash Station, which straddles the Northern Territory and Queensland border. While drought was taking its toll on his coastal properties Costello acquired another in the Northern Territory.