ADAPTAUR

LOST

Beef

The Adaptaur was a tropically developed Bos taurus originally bred at the former CSIRO National Cattle Breeding Station at Belmont Station near Rockhampton, Queensland in the 1950s.  It was one of the “breeding performance recorded” cattle, where weight gain, resistance, and growth rates were tracked over a period of time.  The breed was developed with crosses of Hereford and Shorthorns. 

Find out more here.

AUSTRALIAN FRIESIAN SAHIWAL

CRITICAL

Dairy

Developed by the Queensland Department of Agriculture from 1961 when a Sahiwal bull, a Bos indicus breed from Pakistan, was crossed with Holstein-Friesian cows. The aim was to create a dairy breed that coped with tropical conditions, as pure Bos indicus had a low milk yield and pure Bos taurus (Friesians in this case) often failed to conceive in hot conditions.

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AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE ANGUS

AT RISK

Beef

The Australian Heritage Angus traces its roots back to three sources:  The Trangie Angus Herd, Scottish Bred Angus and Aberdeen cattle, and select New Zealand pre-1968 Angus genetics.  There has been no American Angus genetics introduced into the breed since the 1960s.

Find out more here. 

AUSTRALIAN LOWLINE

WATCH

Beef

Beginning in 1974, the Meat Research Corporation funded trials which produced the Lowline breed.  The trials were set up to evaluate selection for growth rate on herd profitability. The aim was to establish whether large or small animals were more efficient converters of grass into meat. This trial continued for 19 years.  After 15 years of selective breeding, the Lowline herd had stabilised at about 30 percent smaller than the High Line cattle. In 1992 the Australian Lowline Cattle Association and the breed name, Australian Lowline, was officially registere

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AUSTRALIAN MILKING ZEBU

LOST

Dairy

The Australian Milking Zebu (AMZ) was a composite breed of dairy cattle, developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) during the mid-1950s. To develop the breed, the CSIRO bred Sahiwal and Red Sindhi cattle from Pakistan with Jersey cattle. Some Illawarra, Guernsey, and Friesian genetics were also included. 

BELMONT RED

WATCH

Beef

This breed was developed by the CSIRO from 1954 on the cattle research property, Belmont, on the Fitzroy River in Queensland, near Rockhampton. In 1972 the first lot went to the Maynard family of Mount Eugene in central Queensland, according to their website. On Mount Eugene for a further eight years, the CSIRO and DPI conducted more field trials. 

Find out more here. 

MANDALONG SPECIAL

CRITICAL

Beef

Developed in New South Wales from the early to mid 1960s by Rick Pisaturo on his property Mandalong Park, near Sydney. By 1980 Rich was selling purebreds of the new breed he'd formed. Charolais, Chianina, Shorthorn, British White, Brahman used.

Find out more here. 

SQUARE MEATERS

VULNERABLE

Beef

Rick Pisaturo of New South Wales developed the breed in the 1990s as he wanted to provide better beef quicker for his customers.  He choose moderate framed Murray Grey cows and bulls with superior muscling and early maturation to achieve a compact size that finished well and early on grass..

Find out more here.

AUSTRALIAN TEAMSTER DONKEY

CRITICAL

Carriage, Riding, Companion/Livestick Guardian Animal

Australian Teamster enthusiasts have encouraged Australians to value their local donkey breed. There are contractors who muster donkeys from the Outback and offer them for sale. There are also a few studs who breed Teamster Donkeys. The Australian Teamster is now used for saddle riding, carriage driving, packing, in the show ring and as a companion animal. They are also sometimes used to guard livestock. Their solid nature makes them great as a child’s mount.  In 2005 the name ‘Australian Teamster’ was coined by the EIDSA All Breeds Inc (now Donkey All Breeds Society of Australia) as a term that described their type, style and historic origins. There are very few registered Teamster Donkeys, which is what the RBTA counts. Registration ensures survival to a considerable degree.

Find out more here.

AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE ANGORA

CRITICAL

Fibre

During the 1920s and 1930s there was virtually no interest in Angoras in Australia and by 1950, all interest had gone, with the only flock with a history going back to "the good old days" was the "Banksia" flock. For all practical purposes the flocks built up in the 19th and very early 20th centuries had been killed off or allowed to go feral. The Banksia stud of Mr. Barton was registered with the Goat Breed Society of Australia in 1947. By 1963 fourteen studs were registered with this Society. Volumes 5 to 16 of the Goat Breed Society of Australia records the first five hundred that were pure bred. With the upsurge of interest in the Angora goat, an upgrading program began in the 1960s using feral and dairy goats. All Australian Heritage Angora goats trace their pedigrees back to the purebred Banksia flock. There are only three registered studs breeding the Australian Heritage Angora goat.

Find out more here.

AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE ANGLO NUBIAN

CRITICAL

Meat, Dairy

In the DGSA (Dairy Goat Society of Australia) herd book the original imported Anglo Nubians and their direct descendants were given the prefix AN on their registration numbers ie AN1 AN2 etc. Out crossed goats were registered with a prefix Nu. Because of these prefixes they became known as AN's and Nu's. A few dedicated studs in NSW, QLD, and WA persevered to keep the AN lines going. In 2005 a submission was made to RBTA to have the AN Anglo Nubians recognised; also a Breeders Group - Heritage Anglo Nubian Preservation Society of Australia - was formed to actively promote the breed. 

Find out more here.

AUSTRALIAN PERCY ISLAND GOAT

AT RISK

Meat

Approximately 150 years ago, the British Admiralty had a policy of dropping goats on islands to serve as food for shipwrecked sailors. There were many such islands along the coast of Australia, including Percy Island, which lies 70 Nautical miles to the South East of Mackay, Queensland. To this day, some of the descendants of these heritage goats introduced to the Island by the Royal Navy in 1874 by Staff Commander Bedwell of the HM schooner ‘Pearl’ still inhabit this island.  There would have been a variety of breeds dropped off initially but over the last century they have developed into their own breed - also known as Colonial Percy Island Goat They seem to be the most closely visually & characteristically linked to the Old English Goat, Swiss Oberhasli Goat & Indian Bengal Goats.

Find out more here.

AUSTRALIAN (TRADITIONAL) PONY

CRITICAL

Following colonial importations of horse breeds and their interbreeding, a distinct type of pony had emerged in Australia by 1920, The first Australian pony stud book, the Australian Pony Stud Book Society, was formed in 1931. The Australian Pony section of the stud book incorporated all of the mountain and moorland pony breeds that had been imported from the turn of the 20th century as well as the Australian Pony.

Find out more here.

WALER

CRITICAL

Walers got their name from being known as the “Horses from New South Wales”.  Horses brought to Australia in early settler colonisation via the Cape of Good Hope, Timor Island, and Britain went into the ‘genetic melting pot’ to create a uniquely Australian horse of mixed breed.  The Waler horses developed from a diverse mix of pony, coach, riding, and draught horses. These were chiefly Cape Horses (Basuto and Barb types), Timor Pony, Clydesdale, Thoroughbred, coaching breeds, and British Native breeds. To ensure today’s Waler is true to its origins, they must be from bloodlines of 1945 and earlier, meaning no other breeds may be permitted in Walers seeking Purebred registration with The Waler Horse Society of Australia (WHSA). The WHSA collects DNA from all registered Walers to further protect the future of the Waler.

Find out more here. 

AUSTRALIAN SETTLER GOOSE

OF CONCERN

Table

The Austrailian Settler goose was renamed from Pilgrim to Australian Settler with the 2012 APS. This reflected their reconstruction in Australia from remnant stock. The Australian Settler is an auto-sexing breed. 

Find out more on the Trust's Geese page.

ELIZABETH DUCK

OF CONCERN

Eggs, Exhibition

The Elizabeth duck was first bred at Merrylands, New South Wales, in 1972 by Mr. Lance Ruting and named after his wife Ann Elizabeth Ruting. It is said to have appeared when Mr. Ruting crossed a Rouen Clair type with brown farmyard ducks to create a small, fast growing meat duck. It is a pretty duck with similar colouring to the Welsh Harlequin but smaller and stockier than the Welsh. It is currently only bred in Australia

Find out more on the Trust's Duck page.

KING ISLAND TURKEY (NON APS)

NOT YET RATED

Meat

The gene pool of purebred turkeys is being kept alive on King Island, thought to be home to the only untouched bloodline of fowls in Australia that originated from the United States. The King Island Turkey is is an exceptional-quality small frame "bronze turkeys" roaming free, whose winning attributes were a small frame and neat stripes. The birds weigh up to eight kilograms.

Photo credit. Rick Eaves, ABC Northern Tasmania. 

NORTH WEST FERAL FOWL (NON APS)

NOT YET RATED

North West Island had a population of feral chicken which may have been introduced onto the island by British Settlers in 1788.  While it is possible there have been rare injections of new blood from Australia or other places in the early years it seems likely that these North West Island Feral Fowl have been bred in isolation for over two hundred years under natural selection pressures.

Find out more here.

QUAMBY (NON APS)

OF CONCERN

Eggs

Retired biochemist Dr. Gil Stokes spent seven years developing the Quamby - a dual-purpose chook from the English Sussex and New Hampshire breeds. The Quamby is not yet not formally recognised although a submission has been made for APS recognition. Dr. Stokes named it the Quamby from the rocky outcrop of Quamby Bluff, near his Tasmanian farm. The Quamby became available in 2019. More information on the development of the Quamby can be found here.

WATERVALE DUCK

CRITICAL

Eggs

The Watervale was developed in the 1980s on a property in Watervale, South Australia, by Mr. Holder, from a colour sport from a flock of Cayugas. Matings of Watervales back to unrelated Cayugas has proven the Watervale is a recessive mutant colour. 

Find out more on the Trust's Duck page.

AUSSIEDOWN

LOST

Meat

Developed in Australia as a prime lamb producing breed in response to falling wool prices in the early 1990s, they are a crossing of Australian Southdown and European Texel with a minimum of 75% of either breed.

Find out more here. 

BABYDOLL

VULNERABLE

The Babydoll derives from the older, smaller type of Southdown. These sheep kept the traditional features:

• Short, stocky bodies;
• Short legs;
• Woolly faces that look like “teddy bears;”
• Gentle, friendly temperaments.

In Australia, breeders also began using the name “Babydoll” to distinguish the heritage type from the larger, modern Southdown. These sheep are now known internationally as the Babydoll.

Find out more here.

Image credit Aus Ch Tanjar Little Spot With permission Deborah Royans 

CAMDEN PARK MERINO

VULNERABLE

Wool

Captain John Macarthur, a British military settler in NSW, obtained three rams and five ewes from one flock, and a ram from another flock in Capetown in South Africa in 1797 and established them as a flock. These fine wool producing sheep are believed to be descendants of the Spanish "Esturial" Merinos, given to the Dutch Government by Spanish Royalty. In 1804, Macarthur imported from London five rams and one ewe from the Merino flock of King George III, descendants of Spanish "Negrette" Merinos, It was these two flocks which formed the nucleus of the Merino sheep bred at "Camden Park" by John and Elizabeth Macarthur. The flock has passed through many hands since that time. The registered flock number 3164, run at Mt Bute, is a closed flock with no outside additions and will continue to be run in this manner to preserve and maintain the direct bloodline from Macarthur's 'Camden' flock.

Find out more here. 

COOLALEE

ENDANGERED

Meat, Terminal sire

The Coolalee is an Australian short wool, meat sheep breed, developed from an eight-year breeding program commenced in 1968. The breed resulted from the crossing of the Wiltshire Horn, Suffolk, Hampshire Down, Poll Dorset, Lincoln and English Leicester sheep breeds. The first Coolalee rams became commercially available in 1983. These rams are used as terminal sires for prime lamb production.

Find out more at Grokopedia

CORMO

LOST

Wool, Meta

Cormo is a dual-purpose breed of sheep developed in Tasmania, Australia, in the early 1960s through selective crossbreeding of Corriedale rams with superfine Saxon Merino ewes, prized for its exceptionally fine wool, high fertility rates, and balanced meat production. The breed was pioneered by Australian sheep breeder I.K. Downie, who aimed to combine the Merino's wool quality with the Corriedale's productivity and hardiness, resulting in sheep that yield high clean fleeces while maintaining fiber diameters of 17-23 microns for softness and luster.

Find out more at Grokopedia

ELLIOTDALE

CRITICAL

Meat, Carpet wool

The Elliottdale was developed in the 1960s and early 1970s at the Elliott Research Station in Tasmania. It was commercialised in 1976, when the Australian Carpet Wool Industry was established. The Elliottdale Project was terminated in 1993 and the Research Station became a Dairy Research Facility. Mr. Carl Terrey, a research worker and member of the Elliottdale Research team bought several of the sheep and bred them for many years.

Find out more here

GLENVALE

LOST

We are looking for information on the Glenvale sheep. Can you help? Please email us if you can help us.

GROMARK

LOST

Meat, Wool

Gromark sheep are a large-framed, plain bodied dual-purpose (meat and wool) breed of sheep that were under development in 1965 by Arthur C. Godlee at "Marengo", Tamworth, New South Wales. They were selected for a high growth rate, fertility, wool quality and carcase attributes.

Find out more at Wikipedia.

HYFER

LOST

Meat, Wool

The Hyfer was a composite sheep breed. The breeding program was initiated by NSW Agriculture in 1978. Rams from 2 high fertility Merino strains (Booroola and Trangie Fertility) were joined to Poll Dorset ewes. These breeds and strains combine high lambing rate and out of season bteeding abiity with good lamb growth, carcass quality and wool traits.

Find out more here.

POLL WILTSHIRE

CRITICAL

Meat

Poll Wiltshire Sheep are a wool shedding prime lamb breed due to having no back crossing. The Poll Wiltshire was developed from the 1990s from a natural occurrence in the Byarlea Wiltshire Horn Stud sheep flock in the Flinders Ranges area of South Australia. They have the same characteristics as the Wiltshire Horn, without the horns. Extensive genetic testing through Pfizer Animal Genetics has been completed to confirm that this line was 100% pure Wiltshire. 

Find out more at ASSBA

ROMSDOWN

LOST

From Townsville Daily Bulletin Thursday 26 October 1939   "Mr. Keith Headlam, of Burlington Estate, Cressy, conceived tbe Idea of developing the Romsdown by crossIng Southdown rams with Romney Marsh ewes. By breeding on and culling heavily, he flxed the type, In which he has gained the good qualities of both the Southdown and the Romney. 

Source. Trove

WILTIPOLL

AT RISK

Meat

The Wiltipoll breed is a composite breed developed in Australia in the 1970s from Wiltshire Horn sheep with the infusion of Border Leicester, Perendale, Poll Dorset, and Poll Merino genetics and are raised for their high quality meat. 

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ZENITH

LOST

Wool

The Zenith was developed in the 1930s and 1940s by Mr. G. W. Hogg, of Truro, Pleasant Hill, near Henty. The Zenith was based on a Merino-Lincoln strain.

Image credit Victoria Collections.