outback information

The domestication of cattle began thousands of years ago well before the birth of Christ. Perhaps it was around the same time that horses were domesticated, or not long after.

Today’s Bos Taurus (European breeds) and Bos Indicus (Zebu – originating in India) are descended from their extinct European forebears the Bos Primigenius (Aurochs). The list of words for ‘cow’ in different languages gives clues as to the routes taken by cattle when taken to different countries.

Wikipedia has an interesting overview of history of cattle and the Oklahoma State University has a very comprehensive list of cattle breeds.

The Australian Cattle Industry:

There is a vast difference between the mobs of 1000 or more grazing on natural pastures in the extreme wet and dry season climate of northern Australia and the more intensive farming and agricultural land found in the relatively temperate four-season climate of southern Australia.

The most obvious difference is that the climatic and environmental conditions of northern Australia favour large mobs of long-legged smooth-coated Bos Indicus based cattle breeds (Brahmans, Santa Gertrudis, Droughtmaster etc) while softer Bos Taurus based breeds (Herefords, Angus, Murray Greys etc) are commonly chosen for tick-free more closely settled areas in the south. In Queensland there are not many European breeds found above the tropic of Capricorn, but in the Northern Territory Herefords are run a few hundred kilometres north of Alice Springs.

The first European settlers tried running sheep over much of far northern inland Australia but problems with speargrass and dingoes saw the mobs of merinos moved south into areas where wool growing has been much more successful, such as the open downs country and mulga country.

There are regions that contain native ground covers, bushes and trees that sometimes poison stock, such as Ironwood and Whitewood. The most significant poisonous tree is a certain type of gidyea (acacia georginae) found around the Georgina River (NT/Qld border region). It contains fluoroacetate, which is the active ingredient of 1080, the poison commonly used to kill environmentally damaging feral animals such as pigs and rabbits. Because fluoroacetate occurs naturally in plants such as Georgina gidyea and Heartleaf poison bush, native animals are less susceptible than introduced species, and it is broken down by water and naturally occurring bacteria. Georgina gidyea has been researched for many years and there are a lot of interesting articles on the internet. For example page 4-5 of the March 2003 Alice Springs Rural Review discusses the likelihood that plants are able to alert surrounding plants when they are 'under attack' (i.e. being eaten, cut down or damaged in some way). Because Georgina gidyea causes large stock losses at unpredictable times, there is research into a naturally occurring ruminant bug that digests fluoroacetate.

Outback Australian Landscape & Weather:

The landscape ranges from vast, naturally treeless blacksoil plains growing Flinders and Mitchell grasses (referred to as ‘downs’ country), to rocky hills covered in spinifex, ghostgums and coolamon trees, to dense grey mulga scrub, red sandhill country, lignum and coolabah swampy channel country, to dusty nondescript scrub of bullwaddy, lancewood, gidyea or eucalypts and wattles.

Most of these different types of Australian inland landscape can be seen in the book “A Million Acre Masterpiece”.

The Tropical Savannas Co-Operative Research Centre has information on Australia’s savanna grasslands and a good summary of climatic information for northern inland Australia.

The less frequent and less reliable the rainfall and the older the soil, the larger the stations and the more scattered and smaller the townships are. Many stations are located hundreds of miles inland, totally dependent on artesian bore water as there is no natural surface water.

Other stations have miles of ocean frontage and large, sandy, wet-season rivers lined with pandanus, paperbarks, figs and gums. The very largest cattle stations average 10,000 square kilometres in area and they run between 20,000 and 60,000 head of cattle (mostly Brahmans in a reasonable season.

The rainfall varies from a sparse and unreliable average of 150mm (6”) or less per year in semi-desert country to 500mm (20”) in the ‘dry tropics’, and 750mm (30”) or more in tropical areas closer to Australia’s northern coastline. In a good year areas below the Tropic of Capricorn (eg Queensland’s channel country) receive rain from the south in winter and from the north in summer, but in a bad year this region doesn’t get rain from either direction, or a flood down the channels.

It is often said in the ‘downs’ country between Blackall and Richmond that in any 10 year period producers can expect only three really good seasons, several rather ordinary seasons and several of severe drought.

Northern areas are completely dependent on ‘wet season’ rainfall, usually associated with a monsoon trough or cyclone that has crossed the coast. Approximately 75% of rain usually falls between the months of December and March. Most of the native grasses in the northern inland regions have evolved to the point where they only grow during the hotter months, so the occasional rain that falls in the cooler months does not promote new growth.

Unseasonable rain only rots and ruins the protein content of the dry feed that has ‘hayed off’. Some ‘herbage’ (smaller native plants) will grow after substantial winter rain but in the north there is rarely enough of it to sustain significant numbers of cattle.

Temperature-wise, the biggest difference between northern and southern Australia is that the southern winter is not just colder, it is much longer.

In Western Australia’s Kimberley region, for example, the daily temperature maximums and overnight minimums rise rapidly in August and don’t drop much until May. By November the temperature of the ground is so high it’s like sleeping on a hot brick. Wyndham (in the East Kimberley Region) has Australia’s highest year-round maximum temperatures and it’s often very humid also.

In Queensland the highest state-wide early Spring and late Autumn temperatures are invariably in the northern towns of Julia Creek and Weipa because these areas warm up a month or two before southern Queensland and stay hotter for much longer.

For up-to-the-minute weather information, including pressure charts, rainfall radar maps and satellite maps you can’t go past the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s website. It is also an excellent source of background information on cyclones as well as providing a good warning service when cyclone watches are in place.

Owning and Running an Australian Cattle Station:

Almost all the largest stations are owned by companies due to the high amounts of capital required to run them. The biggest have several dozen people living and working on them. That’s a lot of housing to provide and maintain and a lot of wages to pay.

The higher and more reliable the rainfall and the better the soil, the smaller the size of the properties (so the towns are closer together and larger). Per hectare or per acre this land costs a lot more to buy but you need less of it to make a living.

Regardless of whether you’re talking north or south, large or small, well over $1 million AUD is needed to buy a farm or station large enough to reliably support one family through good times and bad, anywhere in Australia.

In addition to this substantial operating capital is required as a hedge against the inevitable run of bad seasons, prices below the cost of production and fluctuations in exchange and interest rates.

Unfortunately now most rural land is priced at real estate values that are well above what they would be valued at as strictly businesses. As someone born and bred on Cape York Peninsula said to me, “A good way to make a small fortune up here is to start with a large one.”

There are many companies listing rural properties for sale on websites. To get an idea of current sale prices, visit Elders or Landmark.

Farming and Grazing Organisations:

• The main national body, the National Farmer’s Federation (NFF), has a good list of state grower organisations.
• The Country Women’s Association of Australia is Australia’s largest women’s organisation. The website has links to the state CWA organisations such as the Queensland Country Women’s Association.
• Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA) is also a national body that has a good list of sites specific to rural women.

There are many state, industry and specific interest organisations such as:

• The Cattle Council of Australia
• Meat and Livestock Australia
• The Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria
• Queensland Rural Women’s Network
• The Victorian Farmer Federation

Sources of Australian Agricultural Information:

An excellent explanation of the northern cattle industry can be found at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries site.

Comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date technical information can be obtained through other State Government Agricultural Department sites and the Federal Government website.

Assistance is also available in person through their offices and over the phone. AgLinks has a very good list of agricultural websites.

The ultimate Australian agriculture site is the Australian Government Agriculture Portal. It has links to every thing that opens and shuts in regard to Australian Agriculture. The best thing about the government portal sites is that websites are assessed before links are made, so there isn’t a lot of dross to wade through.

The very best and completely independent source of rural news and events is ABC Rural Online.