<![CDATA[SOUTHDOWN AUSTRALIA

<![CDATA[SOUTHDOWN AUSTRALIA - News & Sales]]>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 06:37:54 +1000Weebly<![CDATA[How Southdown sheep are Meating the Future]]>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:40:55 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/southdowns-meating-the-futureAuctionsPlus journalist Alex McLaughlin talked to Southdown breeders about what you can expect from the Southdown breed and Southdown terminal sires. The report is shared here with permission from AuctionsPlus.

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12-month old Southdown Stud Rams. Pic: Supplied

When West Gippsland producer Ben Hatch first encountered Southdowns, he was working the sheds as a young shearer. After more than two decades working as a contract shearer across the country and handling every breed imaginable, one continued to stand out above the rest.

“What got me into Southdowns was my time as a shearing contractor,” Mr Hatch said.

“I was seeing a lot of different sheep and a lot of different operations, and the ones that kept stacking up were the Southdown cross lambs. They were consistent, easy lambing, and always finished well.”
Today, Mr Hatch runs Southdowns, alongside 900 Nudie Shedders and 400 Coopworth ewes on his West Gippsland property. Despite the region’s variable seasons, he said the Southdown’s ability to thrive under pressure has proven invaluable.

“In a good season everything looks good,” he said. “But when things tighten up, the Southdown lambs keep their bloom. You’ve still got a premium-grade product when others start to fade.”

Mr Hatch said the breed’s consistency was another major advantage.

“The bottom end of the sheep are a lot closer to the top end compared to other breeds,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily about the highest growth or marbling. It’s about the evenness across the mob. You don’t have the tail end dragging the average down.”

He said Southdowns are well suited to a range of ewe types and management systems.

“People use them over maidens or older ewes for their ease of lambing, but plenty are running them over their whole flock,” he said. “They just work.”

“The reason they’re so consistent is because they’re such a long-established breed with a stable gene pool,” he said.

“Other breeds like Poll Dorsets or White Suffolks are relatively new, so you tend to get more variation. The Southdowns put their stamp on their offspring.”

12-month old Southdown Stud Rams. Pic: Supplied

According to Southdown Australia, the breed’s roots in the national flock stretch back more than two centuries. Reverend Samuel Marsden first imported Southdowns to Australia in 1793, making them one of the earliest British breeds established locally.

Since then, Southdowns have been more of a quiet achiever in shaping Australia’s prime lamb industry. Their genetics have been used widely across the country to produce lambs with excellent muscling, even fat coverage and superior eating quality traits that continue to attract strong demand in domestic and international markets.

Tim Fincham, of Fincham Burando Southdowns in Yea, Victoria, said the modern Southdown remains true to its original purpose - producing quality, market-ready lambs.

“Mature rams often exceed 100 kilograms, while 15-month-old rams typically weigh anything from 90 kilograms,” Mr Fincham said.

“It is important to bear in mind that the main object of breeding Southdowns is to provide the best sire for crossing with other breeds to produce the ideal prime lamb.

“The sheep desired is one with a maximum of meat with sufficient, but no waste fat and attention paid to keeping the weight on the more valuable cuts,” he added.

Southdown crossbred lambs. Pic: Supplied

The breed’s focus remains on producing lambs with the right balance of meat and fat, presenting well to the trade and delivering consistency on the hook.

For producers like Mr Hatch, the Southdown’s reliability makes it a practical choice for commercial and stud enterprises alike.

“Southdowns are easy birthing, easy finishing and highly marketable,” he said. “They’re consistent, they’re proven, and they just get the job done.”

]]><![CDATA[Lansdale Southdown Sale 2025]]>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:08:01 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/lansdale-southdown-sale-2025Thursday 23 October
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]]><![CDATA[Chandpara Southdown Sale 2025]]>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:05:47 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/chandpara-southdown-sale-202511.30am Wednesday 22 October
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]]><![CDATA[Fincham's Burando Southdown Sale 2025]]>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:01:35 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/finchams-burando-southdown-sale-20251pm Tuesday 28 October 2025
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]]><![CDATA[Fincham's Burando Southdown Sale]]>Sun, 20 Oct 2024 12:23:22 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/finchams-burando-southdown-sale-12-november-20241pm Tuesday 12 November 2024
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]]><![CDATA[Australian Sheep and Wool Show 2024 results]]>Mon, 29 Jul 2024 02:37:10 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/australian-sheep-and-wool-show-2024-results

Andrew Sellars-Jones, Chandpara, with Champion Ram (left) and James Knight, Lansdale, with Champion Ewe (right)

2024 Australian Sheep and Wool Show – Southdown results

Class SD01 – Ram born on or after 1 August in wool
1ST Yentrac
2ND Chandpara Pastoral
3RD Lansdale Pure Southdowns
Class SD04 – Ram under 1 ½ yrs old to be scanned
1ST Chandpara Pastoral
2ND Lansdale Pure Southdowns
3RD Lansdale Pure Southdowns
4TH Chandpara Pastoral
Class SD05 – Pen of 2 Ram under 1 ½ yrs old to be scanned
1ST Lansdale Pure Southdowns
2ND Yentrac
Class SD06 – Pen of shorn rams under 1 ½ yrs old closely and evenly shorn to be scanned
1ST Chandpara Pastoral
2ND Yentrac
3RD Lansdale Pure Southdowns
Class SD07 – Ram under 1 ½ yrs old closely and evenly shorn to be scanned
1ST Chandpara Pastoral
2ND Lansdale Pure Southdowns
3RD Yentrac
4TH Yentrac
Champion Southdown Ram any age – Chandpara Pastoral
Reserve Champion Southdown Ram any age – Yentrac

Class SD08 – Ewe over 1 ½ years to 2 ½ years
1ST Chandpara Pastoral
2ND Chandpara Pastoral
3RD Elm
4TH Elm
Class SD09 – Ewe over 2 ½ years
1ST Chandpara Pastoral
Class SD10 – Ewe under 1 ½ years
1ST Lansdale Pure Southdowns
2ND Chandpara Pastoral
3RD Chandpara Pastoral
Class SD11 – Pen of 2 ewes under 1 ½ years old
1ST Lansdale Pure Southdowns
2ND Chandpara Pastoral
Class SD12 – Pen of shorn ewes under 1 ½ years old
1ST Chandpara Pastoral
2ND Lansdale Pure Southdowns
Champion Southdown ewe – Lansdale Pure Southdowns
Reserve Champion Southdown ewe - Lansdale Pure Southdowns
Class SD15 Group of 1 ram and 2 ewes any age
1ST Lansdale Pure Southdowns
2ND Chandpara Pastoral
Class SD14 Group of 1 ram and 2 ewes under 1 ½ years old
1ST Chandpara Pastoral
2ND Lansdale Pure Southdowns

Best hindquarter – Chandpara Pastoral

]]><![CDATA[Fincham's Burando Southdowns 2023 sale]]>Mon, 09 Oct 2023 11:06:41 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/finchams-burando-southdowns-2023-sale1pm on Tuesday 31 October 2023. Click to see sales flyer

]]><![CDATA[Southdowns in the news 5 Oct 2023]]>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 03:32:14 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/southdowns-in-the-news-5-oct-2023Reproduced with permission of Stock and Land. Originally published 5/10/2023.

]]><![CDATA[Australian Sheep and Wool Show 2023 results]]>Sun, 16 Jul 2023 23:23:54 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/australian-sheep-and-wool-show-2023-results

The Australian Sheep and Wool Show was held at Bendigo on 14-16 July 2023. Southdown results and photos are shown below in order of judging.

Ram over 2.5 years 1st Chandpara
Ram 1.5 to 2.5 years 1st Chandpara

Ram under 1.5 years scanned 1st Chandpara 2nd Lansdale 3rd Yentrac 4th Chandpara

Pen of 2 rams under 1.5 years 1st Chandpara 2nd Lansdale 3rd Yentrac

Pen 2 rams shorn under 1.5 years 1st Yentrac 2nd Lansdale

Ram under 1.5 years shorn 1st Yentrac 2nd Chandpara 3rd Lansdale 4th Chandpara

Champion ram Chandpara
Reserve Champion ram Yentrac

Ewe over 2.5 years 1st Chandpara 2nd Elm 3rd Elm

Ewe 1.5 to 2.5 years 1st Chandpara

Ewe under 1.5 years 1st Lansdale 2nd Chandpara

Ewe under 1.5 years shorn 1st Lansdale 2nd Yentrac

Pen of 2 ewes under 1.5 years 1st Yentrac 2nd Lansdale

Pen of 2 ewes shorn under 1.5 years 1st Lansdale 2nd Yentrac 3rd Chandpara

Champion ewe Yentrac
Reserve Champion ewe Lansdale

Group: ram and 2 ewes under 1.5 years 1st Yentrac 2nd Lansdale 3rd Chandpara

Group 1 ram and 2 ewes any age 1st Chandpara 2nd Yentrac 3rd Lansdale

Best Hindquarter Yentrac

Most successful exhibitor Chandpara

Reserve Champion ASSBA Breed Group Chandpara

]]><![CDATA[Fincham's Burando Southdown Annual Sale - 7 November 2022]]>Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:50:21 GMThttp://www.southdownaustralia.com.au/news--sales/finchams-burando-southdown-annual-sale-7-november-2022Yea Showgrounds, Yea Victoria

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