THE LUSH, green and rolling countryside of Pardoo has been the stomping ground of one of Australia’s best known Angus studs for nearly 40 years.
Te Mania Angus, founded by Andrew and Mary Gubbins in 1971, has divided its operations between Pardoo, in the high rainfall district Barongarook, on the fringes of the Otway Ranges and more recently at Woolongoon, Mortlake.
Heavily wooded with manna gums and messmates at the date of its 1960 purchase, Andrew began selectively clearing the property to ensure that it retained belts of undisturbed timber between paddocks and around waterholes.
To this day about 15 per cent of Pardoo remains under original native forests, according to son Tom Gubbins.
The native vegetation provides excellent shelter and ranges from temperate rain forest to typical Otway Ranges bushland.
Annually about 550 stud bulls are reared from four months (200 kilograms) after weaning at the Mortlake property, and grown out at the 443 hectare and high rainfall – about 890 millimetres annually – property to an average of 20 months (750kg).
The stud breeders, about 1600 head, are run at the Mortlake property and as the stud’s holdings have increased, the decision has been made to merge the separate herds.
“We’ve got a lot of country at Mortlake and a lot of cattle and it’s a very healthy, progressive move to meet the growing client demand for our bulls,” Tom said.
Eager to meet this ever-increasing demand for Te Mania genetics, Tom said the move would enable the stud to produce more bulls “so we don’t price ourselves out of the market”.
Alongside its high rainfall and lush improved pastures of rye grass and white clover, Pardoo also boasts a reliable and abundant supply of spring water.
A main 27 megalitre catchment dam reticulates into a second 3ml dam and is piped into troughs located in the 47 main paddocks, backed up by a further six generous springs and three secondary springs.
The natural run-off on the well-balanced and drained arable soils and gently undulating to rolling ground, was a “saving grace” through the drought, according to Tom.
“Our water quality at Mortlake wasn’t good enough and we were able to bring all the young stock back to Pardoo with its beautiful quality water.”
For full and related stories see Stock & Land, September 25.
