Australia is an uncommon continent and an unusual society. As a trading nation, we have two distinguishing characteristics; we import people and we export food and fibre.

Along with grain, major exports are wool and cattle and sheep meats. The livestock industry based on sheep and cattle is a major contributor to domestic and export economic activity. There are approximately 10 sheep and 1.5 cattle beasts for every Australian.

The largest proportion of the livestock industry is carried out on the agricultural lands that were discussed in the previous Chapter. The wheat-sheep zone and the high rainfall, intensive grazing zone account for 70-80% of the cattle and sheep produced. Beyond this relatively high rainfall area with soil suitable for cropping, which is approximately 10-15% of the continental area, lies an enormous area of land that is used for extensive livestock production. This is the pastoral zone or the rangelands.

Because of the aridity, the productivity of the landcover is sparse and production is erratic. Therefore the area of land needed to support a sheep or cattle beast is large, and as a consequence, the areas of individual sheep properties or cattle stations are very large indeed. It also follows that they are very isolated, and that the density of people is low.

Livestock production on this extensive basis is the largest landuse of this continent. Australia is, for this reason, a pastoral nation. It began as one in 1788 and it remains so in 1992.

Pastoral landuse generates two products: red meat from cattle and sheep, and wool fibre from sheep. The landuse of pastoralism in Australia is a capitalist, export-oriented industry. Unlike pastoral societies in the rest of the world, it is not a subsistence way of life, nor is it nomadic in the strict sense of the word.