Rockhampton Downs Station covers an area of 5066 square kilometers on the southwest edge of the Barkly Tableland. The Station is 120 kilometers northeast of Tennant Creek and, given its proximity to the town, was one of many stations on which Warumungu people worked and lived. One of the first leaseholders, William Hutchins, named the Station for his hometown of Rockhampton, Queensland. The lease passed through many hands between 1885 and 1954 until it was finally sold to a subsidiary of the Australian Agricultural Company (Liddle 1990).

In 1923, the Schmidt family purchased the pastoral lease, built a homestead and began to run cattle. They hired George Easey to manage the property and Mr. Easey, in turn, sought Aboriginal labor. By 1950, under Easey's management, there were twenty-two Aboriginal men and four Aboriginal women working on the station (NTRS 246/1 PL 537). Many Aboriginal men labored sinking bores, fencing the property and mustering cattle. In addition, they built a homestead and kitchen, store, men's quarters and butcher shop. As the work progressed, a significant number of Aboriginal people set up camps both on and around the pastoral lease. Those living outside the lease often came to the station to collect rations, work and interact with their families.

During World War II a staging area was set up adjacent to the 6A bore near what would later become the Barkly Highway. Aboriginal people interacted with soldiers and many were enlisted as laborers in the construction of the highway. With somewhat of an infrastructure left behind, after the war, Mr. W.H. Whitlock opened up a roadside inn and store near the old staging area. At this time the Nomenclature Committee approved the name “Frewena” for Whitlock's inn and surrounding area. The roadhouse passed through many hands and by 1981 new owners renamed it the Barkly Homestead (Liddle 1990).

On 7 July 1975, Aboriginal community members who had long lived and worked at the station submitted a letter to the Aboriginal Legal Aid Service requesting the return of two areas along the South Barkly stock route (CLC 1993) including parts of the Rockhampton pastoral lease. It took decades, but much of the land was returned in December 1992, March 1993, and June 2000. A small Aboriginal community now lives near the old homestead and children from the area—even as far away as Tennant Creek—attend the Wakayala primary school.