Tirrabella Pastoral Company among top bulk buyers at 2023 Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale

Mt Garnet-based Tirrabella Pastoral Company was among the many commercial buyers taking advantage of the diverse genetic pool and great value buying over the three day sale.

Tirrabella Pastoral Company is a family-run breeding and fattening operation operated between brothers Grahame, Norm and Cliff Fitchett and their families.

The company was first established in 1979 by their father, Rod Fitchett.

While their 1600 Brahman breeder herd is based at their 19,829 hectare breeder block at Tirrabella Station, along the Herbert River west of Mt Garnet, the company also owns three other properties, including at Richmond, Seacrest at Innisfail, and Sunny Plains at Julia Creek.

The company outlaid $120,500 to secure a team of 10 Brahman bulls for an average price of $12,050.

Their purchases included, $11,000 for lot 18 Shawnee Hancock 1434, $10,000 for lot 19 Shawnee Coleman 1444, $10,000 for lot 169 JRL Mr Frodo, $15,000 for lot 297 Tangle E Colonel, $13,000 for lot 307 Capricorn B Swagger 030, $7000 for lot 308 Capricorn 1623, $5000 for lot 423 Locarno Ronald, and a top price of $12,000 for lot 457 Palmvale Gringo. a top price of $27,500 for lot 391 Nicneil Eliminator, $10,000 for lot 485 Crown JA Sargent, $7000 for red bull lot 514 Bryvonlea Apex, and $10,000 for red bull lot 618 Clukan Golden Eagle 426/1.

Co-owner Grahame Fitchett was on hand selecting the bulls at CQLX Gracemere earlier this week.

Mr Fitchett said he was happy with the good value bulls they purchased this year.

"I've probably stuck to the same budget, but I've got a better quality bull," he told the Queensland Country Life.

"The bulls I have purchased this year are usually way out of my price range.

"I think maybe the bullock buyers weren't here in great numbers, so everybody got a turn at a couple of quality bulls."

Mr Fitchett said he was chasing young bulls to go over their young heifers.

"Basically, I was on the look out for anything with a bit of length and bulls which will do a good job at breeding weaners for the bullock market," he said.

"Polled genetics was also a prerequisite.

"We've been breeding Brahmans since the 90s and before that, it was Droughtmasters and Charbrays."

The highest price Tirrabella Pastoral Company paid for a bull this year was for lot 391 Nicneil Eliminator, which Mr Fitchett paid $27,500 for.

"I paid that much because of his bloodlines, and the polled genetics was a bit of an extra bonus and he's got pretty good conformation, so I'm pretty happy to have secured him," he said.

"We purchased five bulls in 2019 and then one or two in the years since, but just got someone else to buy them for me."

Mr Fitchett said their weaners get bred at Tirrabella Station before they're trucked to Innisfail at weaning time.

" What we don't breed ourselves and if it's a good year, we just buy weaners out of the sales," he said.

Unlike most of the state, Mr Fitchett said North Queensland had experienced an "exceptional wet season", receiving 32 inches of rain in 2023 to date.

"The season at Julia Creek is doing really good and probably the best wet season we've ever had," he said.

"I didn't know how dry it was in central Queensland, so it was good to talk to everyone and get this perspective what it was like down this end because most properties in the north have had above average wet season."

Tirrabella Pastoral Company targets the bullock market, offloading bullocks directly through Townsville at JBS and sometimes through Rockhampton at Teys annually.

"We like to have our bullocks over 300 kilograms and it just depends on their teeth, two - four tooth, when they're marketed," Mr Fitchett said.

"We've always gone direct to meat works."