In the early 1890s Tom Nugent settled down on a water hole called ‘Kadhe-en burra,’ and later that year he shifted to the water hole ‘called by the natives Banka Banka’ (Spencer and Gillen 1912, 447). Taking this name, Nugent set up a cattle station using mostly Aboriginal labor. Nugent's misunderstanding of the Warumungu name Pankurrpankurr remained with successive station managers. Nugent, or Holmes as he was also known, was a bit of an outcast known for whiskey drinking and his rough gang the ‘ragged thirteen.’ But even with this reputation, Nugent is remembered as a fair boss to the Warumungu people who lived and worked at the station. Under the direction of Nugent, the station was home to many Warumungu men and women who were able to live with their families, keep their language and perform ceremonies.

For most of Nugent's reign, there were ‘a lot of half-caste kids running about the station – Tom was fond of kiddies, any half-caste kid that could dig in and get its tucker at the Station’ (Nash and Simpson 1984). In 1902 the Bishop of Carpentaria came to visit the station and ‘Tom offered a lump sum to christen all the half-caste kids.’ But when Nugent could not produce the fathers of the children the Bishop declined (Nash and Simpson 1984).

Banka Banka passed hands from Nugent after his death in 1911. Three of Nugent's cousins, the Ambrose brothers, took up the lease and Warumungu people remained at the station and surrounding areas. Those who didn't live on the station, camped nearby and were able to share in the rations obtained by their kin working at the station. Nugent's more hands-off approach to Aboriginal workers and their families, however, was countered by Paddy Ambrose who is remembered as a quick-tempered boss.

In the early 1940s Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Ward purchased the station from the Ambrose family. Mary and Phillip Ward first came to Tennant Creek in 1935 in search of gold. Early on, they set up a camp near the Telegraph Station where Mrs. Ward worked doing the laundry. It was here that she first came in contact with, and befriended several Warumungu women. With money from their mine ventures (see Kumunjayi Moon mine), the Wards were able to purchase the Banka Banka Station. Mrs. Ward then recruited the some of the Warumungu women from the Telegraph Station to work for her (Nash 2000). Aboriginal men worked as stockman and most of the women did domestic work. Families were allowed to camp together and some had their own houses. Old people had a bush camp on the far side of the station, where people could go at night or after work.

During the 1950s Mrs. Ward arranged for eight Aboriginal children to be sent to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School in Alice Springs. Then, in 1960 she opened a school on the station with the motto ‘Do it Well.’ The school educated many Aboriginal children from Banka Banka station and others in the area.

Warumungu people still go back to BB station to camp and hunt and there are several sacred sites in the area that have been registered with the Sacred Sites Authority. In addition, the most recent station manager (2001) has set up a tourist site where campers can stay for a night and learn about the station. His goal to incorporate Aboriginal histories of Banka Banka into this venture has formed new relations between the station and younger generations of Warumungu community members.