Wet October lifts Queensland as northern NSW turns buyer

When the Rainfall Tracker was last updated in May, below-average rainfall was widespread across NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and dry conditions had pushed a wave of cattle out of northern NSW. With data now updated to the end of October, the picture has shifted considerably in some regions and barely moved in others.

Nationally, 225,000 head of commercial cattle were sold on AuctionsPlus from July to October, up 8% on the same period last year.

The south turns a corner, mostly

Victoria and South Australia have had the biggest rainfall turnaround. Around three-quarters of tracked towns in both states recorded above-average rainfall from June to October, despite a dry September almost everywhere.

Not all of Victoria has shared in it. South-west Victoria is the clearest change since the last update. Earlier in the year, it stood out as one of the strongest buying regions. Since then, Casterton, Coleraine and Heywood have slipped to decile 1 for the year to date, meaning their rainfall sits in the driest 10% of the Tracker’s 2000–2025 reference period.

The region sold almost twice as many cattle from July to October as it did a year ago. Last year, it bought 2,100 more head than it sold over those months. This year, it sold 3,300 more than it bought.

Tasmania remains the driest state on the map, with 96% of tracked towns below  

Northern NSW buys back in while the Hunter stays dry

More than 52,000 head were sold out of northern NSW in March and April, more than three times the number sold in the same months last year. From July to October, buyers based in the region bought more cattle than the region sold in each month, adding up to net purchases of 10,400 head.

A wet October lifted June to October rainfall above average at Tenterfield and Moree. Tenterfield received 189mm in October alone and Moree 150mm, taking their five-month totals to 257mm and 235mm.

The improvement hasn’t erased earlier shortfalls everywhere. Despite 141mm in October, Armidale has recorded 417mm from January to October, around 28% below its 2000–2025 average for that period.

The Hunter hasn’t had the same relief. The Dry Streak view shows Muswellbrook, Maitland and Paterson with five consecutive months of below-average rainfall. Cattle sold out of the region from July to October were up 30% on last year, while buying fell 15%.

Queensland gets a wet October

Further north, a very wet October lifted every tracked Queensland town above its October average. Three-quarters of those towns received at least 100mm for the month, and 71% recorded a decile 10 October, ranking it among their wettest of the 2000–2025 period. The biggest falls relative to normal were in central west Queensland. Tambo received 253mm against an October average of 27mm, Barcaldine 197mm against 21mm, and Torrens Creek and Muttaburra both recorded more than ten times their usual October rainfall. The Southern Downs also had a big month, with Warwick and Allora each receiving around 250mm, roughly four times their average.

Cattle sales out of central west Queensland were at a similar level to last year, but buying by producers based in the region from July to October was down about a quarter. With October’s rain, buying in the region is one to watch over the coming months.

Check your district

Switch to the By Month view to see how your district has tracked through the season, or use Dry Streak to see where consecutive dry months are building.

Source:

Rainfall data from SILO, with deciles and averages calculated against 2000–2025

Livestock data from AuctionsPlus commercial cattle sales