Scottish heritage intact at Dockers Plains

It’s home to one of the last surviving Aberdeen Angus herds from Scotland still in Australia, features a big homestead that wouldn’t look out of place on Downton Abbey and it’s still occupied by direct descendants of Joseph Docker who settled the land in 1838.

Likewise, mention the name Bontharambo to an Angus breeder and they will probably identify with a line of cattle that’s been around longer than most Australian Angus herds.

The property “Bontharambo”, run as part of Dockers Plains Pastoral Company, has been owned by the Docker family for generations, and even now there’s history being made with this iconic piece of land and the cattle run on it.

In recent years Dane and Ingrid Martin have become part of the Bontharambo story by managing its distinct Angus herds and working to re-establish the old Scottish bloodlines in a part of the breeding system.

These bloodlines were believed to be one of the last herds of the original Aberdeen Angus from Scotland still in Australia and the Martin’s have been using a variety of genetic techniques, such as embryo transfer and DNA testing, to ensure the individual cow families survived. 

The Bontharambo Angus herd was part of a bigger operation managed by Mr and Mrs Martin across Dockers Plains Pastoral Company near Wangaratta, Victoria, and Glenfalloch Station near Lincola, Vic.

Mr Martin said the Angus herds were run as three separate units: the Bontharambo herd, the Dockers Plains herd and the Glenfalloch herd.

“The Dockers Plains and Glenfalloch cattle are what we would class as modern Angus, while the Bontharambo stock are just like traditional Aberdeen Angus of 60 years ago, being much smaller in stature,” he said.

The main purpose of running the heritage line was to produce heifer bulls for the other two herds.

“It’s also important to maintain those genetics for the future as once they are lost, they are lost forever,” Mr Martin said.

The Bontharambo stock may be smaller framed cattle, but they make up for it by being able to handle the tougher seasons better than modern Angus. 

“It’s a really important trait to have in stock, particularly those that are being finished on grass,” he said.

They aimed to run cattle that were robust enough to handle harsh conditions and thrive when the pastures were plentiful.

Grass fi nishing was more than just a management decision for the Dockers Plains Pastoral Company, it’s a philosophy that incorporates looking after the land and growing beef the way nature intended.

As a result, the company now supplies Coles with cattle for its house brand, Graze, which is guaranteed grassfed beef.

Dockers Plains Pastoral Company also supplies cattle to JBS.

The bulk of the young cattle were weaned at eight to nine months as the pastures started the dry off once the weather cooled.

Weaning at that time also gave the cows a chance to ensure they were in the right condition going into winter.

After running on an improved perennial pasture mix of phalaris and clovers until they were 12 to 13 months, the steers were turned off at 440 to 450 kilograms.

Mr Martin said this timing also allowed for any heifers that didn’t get in calf after six weeks running with the bull to be culled about the 450kg mark and sold to Coles.

He said the heifers only ran with the bull for six weeks to ensure they were keeping the most fertile breeders.

“The cows run with the bulls for about eight weeks from November 1,” he said.