Overview
The Gulf region is the largest in the tropical savannas,
covering an area of approximately 425,000 square kilometres. It
encompasses a great variety of environments, from the rocky uplands
around Mount Isa to the rich bluegrass flats which extend from the
most southerly point of the Gulf. Rainfall in the region generally
decreases from north to south and east to west. There is also great
variation in the growing season, from 20 weeks of the year at
Normanton to only nine near Cloncurry. It straddles Queensland and
the Northern Territory where the historical development of the
pastoral industry has differed; evident in the disparity of lease
sizes. On the Northern Territory side, property sizes are
significantly larger. This is in part due to historical factors but
lack of subsequent subdivision in the Northern Territory probably
also reflects the poorer fertility of the country.
Brahman cattle like these make up the
majority of the herd in the Gulf district
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Variable grazing country
The gulf region is not unique in its poor fertility and very low
carrying capacity and in many ways has a lot in common with less
fertile areas of the Cape York and Kimberley regions. There are a
great variety of soil types in the region and as a result the
quality of the grazing country is highly variable throughout. Good
country tends to be used for fattening while poorer areas are
utilized for breeding. On the whole though this region is
considered fairly poor grazing country and stocking rates are
therefore maintained at a low level. Significant areas of the
region suffer from floods in the wet season.
There are about 200 stations in the region, including both
corporate and family run enterprises. The smallest properties in
the region are to be found to the south west of Croydon, although
this may be more related to historical rather than biophysical
factors. As is the case throughout the tropical savannas,
corporately owned properties tend to be larger.
Markets
While breeding is an important earner for producers in the Gulf
region, supplying cattle to the live export trade has been growing
in significance, with the proportion of properties participating
more than doubling between 1996 and 1997 (ABARE 1998). The port of
Karumba is used by the majority, and more than 50,000 head were
exported in 1996. Producers on the Northern Territory side of the
border tend to export live cattle out of Darwin. Numbers of live
cattle exported from the Gulf region are expected to rise and this
has important implications for herd management in the region.
However the turn off of cattle to domestic store markets, or to
affiliated properties for corporately owned enterprises, will
continue to be a major earner for producers in the Gulf region.
Land systems
Some of the most productive and resilient grazing country in the
Gulf region can be found at the base of the Gulf, following the
major rivers that empty at that point: the Norman, Alexandra,
Leichardt, Nicholson and Flinders. This area consists of
floodplains with alluvial cracking clay soils. The relatively good
soil fertility results from run-on water, sediments and nutrients,
and supports areas of Flinders (Iseilema spp.) and Mitchell
(Astrebla spp.) grass. To the east there are broad sandy
plains supporting a vegetation of low paperbark and wattle
woodlands and areas of stringybark and bloodwood. The south east
inland sector of the region has similar tree cover but also has
many top feed species such as whitewood, bean tree and vine tree.
This explains the slightly higher stocking rates in the area.
The region between Camooweal and Cloncurry, known as the Mount
Isa highlands, consists of rugged stony hills and mountains. The
vegetation includes low trees of snappy gum, box wood and blood
wood, and the dominant pasture species is spinifex (Triodia
spp.). The area has very low fertility, in particular extremely low
available phosphorous, and one of the most conservative stocking
rates in the region. South of Cloncurry is arid, short grass
country, again mostly spinifex growing on infertile stony
soils.
South of the Mitchell River
The richest grazing country in this part of the Gulf region is
on the frontages of the Mitchell and Gilbert rivers and
floodplains. Marine plains that are dominated by marine couches,
with wild rice and watergrasses around the lagoons also provide
better grazing areas. Fire is used in this part of the Gulf as a
mustering tool to encourage cattle to areas of green pick, to
spread cattle to lighter country and to prevent late dry season
fires. Rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) is becoming a
major concern, along with stinking passion flower (Passiflora
foetida). As a result of their proximity to port of Karumba,
producers in this region compared to those further north stand to
benefit significantly from the live export market.
