You are here: ANRA home » Natural resource topics » Agriculture » Statistics » Queensland
This web site is no longer being updated
In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Agriculture - Statistics - South West (SD) (QLD)
South West (SD) (QLD)
Introduction
South West Statistical Division is situated at the junction of the Queensland, South Australian and New South Wales borders. The western part of the Division is desert, receiving less than 150 mm annual rainfall. In the wet season the rivers and streams flow from the north of the State, but this is short lived and the land soon reverts to dry spinifex and sand dunes. The eastern part of the Division is seemingly endless plain. This is where most of the State's sheep and cattle graze. It is also important for cotton, grain and opals.
Adavale, in the far west of the Division, is the site of Australia's first opal find. The gems run in a belt from the NSW border to north of Winton. Quilpie is best known for its boulder opals. Most gems come from the Bull Creek field to the north-west.
Cunnamulla, on the Warrego River 120km north of the NSW border, is a sheep and cattle town and has the biggest wool-loading station on the State's railway system. On a site south of the town, shearers camped during the 1890,s strike.
Charleville, to the north of Cunnamulla, is also on the Warrego River. It is the centre of a rich sheep and cattle area. It was here Cobb and Co had a coach building factory in 1893, and the last coach ran from here to Surat in 1923. Qantas started its first regular flights from Charleville in 1922. Charleville is in the heart of Mulga country.
St. George, in the south-east of the Division, is the centre of a rich cotton growing district. It is on the Balonne River and has an annual rainfall of only 500 mm. An extensive irrigation programme is carried out by means of a dam and three weirs. The cotton growing and harvesting is completely mechanised. Wheat, barley, oats and sunflowers are also irrigated and sheep and cattle are raised.
In 1859, Roma became the State's first gazetted settlement after the separation from New South Wales. Sheep and cattle are the area's mainstay. In 1863 the first vine cuttings arrived in Roma and this was the start of the State's wine industry. Australia's first natural gas strike was made in 1900 at Hospital Hill. Large gas deposits fuel the local power station, and gas is also pumped via a 450 km pipeline to Brisbane.
The figures reported here are a subset of the Agricultural Census data from 1982/1983 to 1996/1997 published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS, AgStats). The data has been analysed by the Bureau of Rural Sciences using a consistent geographic base. Further information about the data is available from the Australian Spatial Data Directory
The figures and text are reproduced with permission of the Australian Bureau of Statistics, © Commonwealth of Australia, 2000.
Statistics
Area of region (ha): 32,265,760.54
Area
Agroforestry
Cattle and Calves
- Number of Milk Cows (in Milk and Dry) at 31 March (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,855 )
- Number of Meat Cattle at 31 March (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,076,414 )
Cereals excluding Rice
- Area of Wheat produced for grain (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 124,858 )
- Tonnes of Wheat produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 70,694 )
- Area of Oats produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 2,302 )
- Tonnes of Oats produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 609 )
- Area of Barley produced for grain (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 11,285 )
- Tonnes of Barley produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 6,071 )
- Area of Grain Sorghum produced for grain (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 45,426 )
- Tonnes of Grain Sorghum produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 68,719 )
- Area of Maize produced for grain (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 90 )
- Tonnes of Maize produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 280 )
- Area of Millet and Panicum produced for grain (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 160 )
- Tonnes of Millet and Panicum produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 131 )
- Area of Triticale produced for grain (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 318 )
- Tonnes of Triticale produced for grain (Value in 1996/1997 = 408 )
- Area of Cereal crops cut for hay (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,896 )
- Tonnes of Cereal crops cut for hay (Value in 1996/1997 = 2,971 )
Citrus
- Number of Orange Trees under 6 years (Value in 1996/1997 = 50 )
- Number of Orange Trees 6 years and over (Value in 1996/1997 = 393 )
- Kilograms of Oranges produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 10,250 )
- Number of Lemon and Lime Trees under 6 years (Value in 1996/1997 = 50 )
- Number of Lemons and Limes Trees 6 years and over (Value in 1996/1997 = 10 )
- Kilograms of Lemons and Limes produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,240 )
- Number of Mandarin Trees 6 years and over (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,230 )
- Kilograms of Mandarins produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 42,540 )
Cotton
- Area of Cotton - Irrigated (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 16,083 )
- Kilograms of Cotton - Irrigated - produced for seed (Value in 1996/1997 = 50,452,897 )
- Area of Cotton - Non Irrigated (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 352 )
- Kilograms of Cotton - Non Irrigated - produced for seed (Value in 1996/1997 = 340,184 )
Grapes
- Area of Grapes (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 169 )
- Tonnes of Grapes - total produced (fresh weight) (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,096 )
Legumes
- Area of Mung Beans (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 3,600 )
- Tonnes of Mung Beans produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,360 )
- Area of Soybeans (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,219 )
- Tonnes of Soybeans produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 2,938 )
- Area of Peanuts (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 362 )
- Kilograms of Peanuts produced (in shell) (Value in 1996/1997 = 973,033 )
- Area of Chick Peas (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 850 )
- Tonnes of Chick Peas produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 246 )
- Area of Faba Beans (including Tick and Horse) (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 368 )
- Tonnes of Faba Beans (including Tick and Horse) produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 414 )
Oilseeds
- Area of Sunflower (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 943 )
- Tonnes of Sunflower produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 577 )
Other Livestock
- Number of Deer (Value in 1996/1997 = 13 )
- Number of Horses Stud (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,422 )
- Number of Livestock not elsewhere considered (short form) (Value in 1996/1997 = 7,701 )
Other Non-Cereal Crops
Other Vegetables
- Area of Rock Melons (including Cantaloupe) (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 134 )
- Tonnes of Rock Melons (including Cantaloupe) produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 3,261 )
- Area of Water Melons (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 32 )
- Tonnes of Water Melons produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 484 )
- Area of Pumpkins, Triambles, Trombones etc. (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 7.0 )
- Tonnes of Pumpkins, Triambles, Trombones etc. produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 106 )
Pastures
- Area of Lucerne (pure), year ending 31 March (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,543 )
- Area of Pasture Legumes (excluding Lucerne), year ending 31 March (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 3,478 )
- Area of Sown Grasses, year ending 31 March (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 280,478 )
- Area of Native or Naturalised Pasture, year ending 31 March (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 2,938,922 )
- Area of Mixed Perennial Grasses and Legumes, year ending 31 March (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 30,690 )
- Area of Mixed Annual Grasses and Legumes, year ending 31 March (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 30,855 )
- Area of Sown Pasture (excluding Pure Lucerne) , year ending 31 March (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 3,289,601 )
- Area of Pastures (excluding Lucerne) cut for hay (ha) (Value in 1996/1997 = 666 )
- Tonnes of Pasture (excluding Lucerne) cut for hay (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,568 )
Pigs
Poultry
Sales of Livestock
- Number of Sales of Sheep (Value in 1996/1997 = 733,282 )
- Number of Sales of Lambs (Value in 1996/1997 = 163,140 )
- Number of Sales of Cattle and Calves (except Bulls sold for breeding) (Value in 1996/1997 = 272,132 )
- Number of Sales of Pigs (Value in 1996/1997 = 6,653 )
- Number of Sales of Other Livestock not elsewhere considered (short form) (Value in 1996/1997 = 2,072 )
Sheep and Lambs
- Number of Breeding Ewes 1 year and over at 31 March (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,800,897 )
- Number of Lambs and Hoggets under 1 year at 31 March (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,103,265 )
- Number of Sheep and Lambs at 31 March (Value in 1996/1997 = 4,465,488 )
- Number of All Other Sheep (excluding Breeding Ewes) (Value in 1996/1997 = 1,561,326 )
Stone Fruit
- Number of Peach Trees under 6 years (Value in 1996/1997 = 200 )
- Kilograms of Peaches produced (Value in 1996/1997 = 300 )
Further information
Please Note: Not all the selected data items are available for every year or for every statistical region.
The figures reported here are a subset of the Agricultural Census data from 1982/1983 to 1996/1997 published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS, AgStats). The data have been analysed by Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia to report them using a consistent geographic base. Further information about the data is available through the Australian Spatial Data Directory.
The subset includes 436 data items for plant production and 40 data items for livestock which were commonly available in the AgStats database over the 15 year period and each year for respondents having an Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations (EVAO) above the cut-off of $22,500.
The data have been concorded by bringing data collected using different geographies to a consistent geographic base, being Version 2.6 Statistical Local Area (SLA) boundaries (ABS, 1996) and using the non-agricultural lands mask from the National Land and Water Resources Audit's National Landuse Map (1996/1997).
Before you download
Most publications are downloadable as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to an another web site
Opens a pop-up window