There’s no secret to surviving a drought, according to western Queensland grazier Kevin Bredhauer.
“You just have to sell down. You’ve got to have good water, good Mulga and a good bank manager.”
Fortunately for Mr Bredhauer, he’s got at least two of these in spades on his 40,500 hectare property, Rosevale Station, just west of Wyandra, Queensland.
He purchased the property in 2011 and despite running head first into a horror spell of years, he has managed to continue a sizable development project.
The Bredhauers, who relocated to Rosevale from the Blackall district in Queensland’s central west, have developed 14,175ha of country since buying the property.
Much of that was Mulga harvested to feed cattle but Mr Bredhauer said the benefits of managing Mulga will last for decades.
“A lot of that country now has good, young Mulga on it and that’s when this place really comes into its own,” he said.
“We have to protect the Mulga while it is quite young but once it gets up to a point that we can put sheep on it, it’s terrific feed.”
Situated on the Warrego River, Rosevale Station is a handy mix of blacksoil floodplains, channels and Mulga.
Rosevale falls within a 56 kilometer cluster fence which forms three sides of its boundary. In the two or three years since the fence went up, the landholders have removed 15 dogs from inside.
The Bredhauers have trapped another seven just outside the fence and are currently in the process of completing the final leg of their own fence which will make them completely enclosed.
Mr Bredhauer has been told previous owners used to shear around 35,000 sheep on Rosevale but they Bredhauers are moving away from wool production.
They plan to turn their focus to Dorpers and goats with cattle to be used as an opportunity enterprise when seasons permit.
“We are currently running about 5000 Dorper ewes and lambs and we’ve also got about 1000 mixed cattle and 1000 goats behind wire,” Mr Bredhauer said.
Click here to read the full story by Penelope Arthur for the Queensland Country Life.
