7124.0 - Historical Selected Agriculture Commodities, by State (1861 to Present), 2010-11 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 06/03/2013   
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Contents >> Total cattle



TOTAL CATTLE

Cattle farming occurs in all states and territories. While dairy cattle are mainly found in southern and coastal districts, beef cattle are concentrated in Queensland and New South Wales.

In 2010-11, the total number of cattle in Australia was 28.5 million head, which was an increase of 2 million (7%) since 2009-10. All states registered a slight increase in number of cattle, except Western Australia where cattle numbers dropped by 252 thousand head to 2 million head.

The first cattle in Australia arrived with the First Fleet in January 1788. The cattle industry gradually increased in numbers and reached an all time high in 1976, totalling 33.4 million head. The following years however saw a significant drop in numbers due to seasonal conditions and profitability.

Graph Image for Total cattle (no.)



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