Learn about grazing in the Alps
Australian Alps Education Kit
Chapter 10 – Grazing in the Australian Alps
Australian Alps Liaison Committee, November 2005
Culturally significant but damaging to fragile alpine environments
Mt Howitt Hut, Alpine National
Park – a reminder af the Alps
grazing history
Photo: Australian Alps Liaison
Committee
Grazing has occurred in many different parts of the Australian Alps but only seasonal grazing of sheep and cattle occurred on the highest mountain plateaus where there were permanent freehold runs.
At lower elevations throughout the Australian Alps pastures were grazed but, in summer, these areas became dry and sparse while the high plains offered cooler temperatures and higher rainfall supporting lush native grasses and herbs. These alpine areas also provided a precious food supply in times of drought.
In the early days governments encouraged graziers to use the high country to feed their cattle and sheep. Governments in Victoria and New South Wales introduced a system of annual licences, giving graziers the right to graze an area of alpine pasture.
The early leases and licences did not limit stock numbers or the grazing season, which often led to extensive overgrazing of the land.
Much of the damage in the Alps today is a legacy of the impacts of use prior to the 1940s. A combination of overgrazing, deliberate burning and the occasional wildfire has resulted in massive degradation of the highest mountain areas in both NSW and Victoria.
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