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The History

The word Illawarra is an Australian aboriginal word early settlers used, and is still used today, to describe the land some 50 miles south of Sydney, land locked between the Pacific Ocean and what was once a near impenetrable escarpment which rears abruptly to the west.  With few natural harbours it remained unexplored and unused until a big drought in 1815 forced such settlers as Charles Throsby to seek new pastures.

It was not until the 1840s that dairying commenced as an industry.  Cattle up till then were mainly raised for beef.  The early settlers had for the most part, cleared the Illawarra area with the assistance of convict labour.  All breeds, types and colours of cattle had been introduced into the area.

Cattle grants from Government and private herds reached the Illawarra.  These included Longhorn Durhams, Shorthorn Durhams, Red Lincolns, Red Ayrshires and Jerseys.  However, three members of the Osborne family from Northern Ireland had, since 1829, laid the foundations of a dairy industry, and in doing so, the evolution of the breed we know as (the Australian) Illawarras.  The Osbornes imported the best cattle, promoted the first Agricultural Show at Wollongong and encouraged others in forming a dairy industry.

The Australian and Californian gold rushes provided the impetus for an expansion of the industry and the Illawarra area took up the demand for butter and other dairy products, and dairy has remained an important Illawarra industry ever since.

The Illawarra breeders were credited with having a flair for stockbreeding and an “eye for a good beast”.  The 1860s ushered in a new era about which records and facts became more accurately recorded.  Several outstanding bulls were imported and breeding aimed at evolving a dairy breed of cattle to suit the environment was earnestly pursued.

In 1898 the embargo was lifted allowing a fresh wave of cattle imports.  Breeders introduced Jersey, Guernsey, Kerri Dexter, Friesian, Shorthorn and Ayrshire bloodlines and it was from this amalgamation that the Australian Illawarra dairy cattle descended.

One Ayrshire bull from Victoria, named “The Earl of Beaconsfield” proved outstanding when mated with cattle of the Illawarra.  The progeny was magnificent and amongst the most celebrated was a cow called “Honeycomb”.  Claimed to be Champion Dairy Cow of the world in the early 1890's, she was also invincible in the show ring and winner of all the milk and butterfat awards.  This was the cow that inspired the Illawarras, and the breeding programs began revolving around Red and Roan Shorthorns and Ayrshire bulls.  Studs became more prevalent and spread to many other parts of Australia including Queensland.

In 1899 a contingent of “Illawarra cattle” were registered in the Milking Shorthorn Herd Book.  In 1910, dairymen met at Kiama to establish another Herd Book, under the title Illawarra Dairy Cattle. 

Milking Shorthorn and Illawarra Dairy Cattle Societies continued to flourish and expand throughout all Australian States.  In Queensland the two breed Societies amalgamated to form the Illawarra Dairy Cattle Association of Queensland.  This lead to further interstate amalgamations until, after protracted negotiations over many years, a national body called The Australian Illawarra Shorthorn Society was formed in Brisbane in 1930.  For many years they were referred to as the Illawarra Shorthorns, or “the A.I.S. cattle”.

Now the term Illawarras is commonplace and the Society is called The Illawarra Cattle Society of Australia.  The “Shorthorn” was dropped from the name because it caused confusion to some overseas buyers who associate Shorthorn with dual-purpose animals. 

By judicious mating and well-planned breeding programs a standard type of conformation of dairy cattle has emerged which, having been adopted as “The Standard of Excellence” of the breed and zealously applied when examining for “Breed Type” by the Breed Inspectors, the results are evident by noting the consistent “Evenness of Type” of Illawarras whatever region they are found.  International recognition has consolidated the breed worldwide.

 

Awards and Competitions Information

 

STP (SUPERIOR TYPE AND PRODUCTION) AWARDS:

 Please note qualifying rules:

  • STP: 50,000 lt milk, 1875Kg Fat, 1600Kg Pt
  • STP Silver: 66,667lt milk, 2500Kg Fat, 2133Kg Pt
  • STP Gold: 83,333Lt milk, 3125Kg Fat, 2667Kg Pt
  • STP Diamond: 100,000lt Milk, 3750kg Fat, 3200Kg Pt
  • Must pass above Lifetime production standards
  • Each lact must be 220 days min
  • Must classify VG85 minimum mammary
  • There is no limit on the number of minimum lactations to qualify.

Contact the Kiama office to nominate an animal.

 

SBC - Star Brood Cow

this cow must be classified and have at least three progeny GP or better and gains points for progeny classification, production and ABV's.  Fill out the attached application form and forward to the office.

pdf Star Brood Cow Application Form (58 KB)

HOLZHAUSER COMPETITION

Holzhauser Competition entries are due in at the end of December/beginning of January and should be sent to PO Box 189, Kiama NSW 2533. 

Entries should consist of ten cows with the highest combined total of protein and butterfat content.  There are no test restrictions. 

An award will also be given to the entry showing the greatest improvement over the previous year’s average in combined total of protein and butterfat.

INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTION RECORDS

If Illawarra members have production figures that are higher than any existing records, please forward the LACTATION STATEMENT to Brian Parker, Chairman, Production Research Committee, PO Box 66, Denman  NSW  2328, for confirmation of the record.

Certain conditions must be met e.g. at least 7 monthly recordings in 305 day period.  To break a Fat or Protein record, the minimum requirements for that particular component which is being considered for the record, only needs to be met.  Fat 3.3%.  Protein 3.0%.

For State records, please contact your State Branch Secretary

 REAL AUSTRALIAN PHOTO COMPETITION

Eligible photographs are considered by the Photo Comp Committee during International Dairy Week held in Shepparton in January each year.  To be eligible photos must have been taken in the preceding calendar year - January 1 to December 31.

Eligible photos (hard copy) MUST be in the hands of a Photo Comp Committee member no later than the end of Illawarra Judging Day at IDW.

If posting to a committee member, they must be received no later than January 10th. 

The closing date for emailed entries is the 10th January.

The official email address for entering the Agrigene Real Australian Illawarra photo competition is:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Committee members are:
Ms Kyleigh Cochrane, 75B Mayfield Road, Pyree NSW 2540
Mr Damen Phillips, 3 Parkside Court, Hodgson Vale, Qld 4350
Mr David Patterson, 14 Brown Street, Allansford, Vic, 3277

Only photos submitted by the owner of an animal will be accepted. Digital and hard copy photos sized 7”X5” with the below information written on the back, will be eligible. There is no restriction on the number of entries.

On the back of the photo PRINT the following information:
Owned by ..., postal address …
FULL name of animal …
DOB …
Month and year photo taken …

The Breed

Information about Illawarra Cattle

Production and milk quality

Illawarras are producers of large quantities of milk. Many cows produce in excess of 40 litres per day and 300 day lactations over 10,000 litres are not uncommon. Because of its moderate fat, high protein milk yield the breed is in an excellent position to take advantage of the growing world demand for protein.

Adaptability

Australian dairy cows are subjected to a wide range of climatic conditions. Whilst extreme temperatures in dairy farm areas vary from below 0 degrees to over 40 degrees, Illawarra cows thrive on a pasture based feeding system and are not housed at any time of the year. Consequently they have adapted well in countries extending from the tropics to North America.

Calving Ease

One of the most outstanding features of Illawarra cows is their ability to calve unattended with assistance rarely ever needed. Contributing factors to this highly desirable characteristic appear to be their superior pelvic formation and individual determination.

Longevity

An Illawarra cow can be expected to calve at 2 years of age, calve regularly every 12 months increasing her yield each year until a mature cow and keep producing into her early teens. Many have produced lifetime totals in excess of 60,000 litres of milk.

Pigmentation

Illawarras have strong dark hooves and dark pigmentation of the skin, thus avoiding the problems of skin cancer and sunburnt teats. The latter being one of the contributing factors to the reputation of Illawarras having an excellent temperament.

pdf Illawarra Type Assessment Handbook (8.40 MB)

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