Australia’s 5,700 dairy farms are spread across eight unique dairying regions throughout Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia
While the bulk of milk production takes place in Australia’s south-east, each state has a dairy industry that supplies fresh drinking milk to nearby cities and towns, along with a range of high-quality products including fresh milks, yoghurts, cheeses and custards.
With 43,000 people directly employed in dairy farming, the industry is a vital contributor to regional Australia, providing jobs, supporting local communities and producing some of the best, most nutritious and wholesome milk and dairy products in the world.
Western Australia
Dairy farms: 159
Cows: 66,000
Average herd size: 415
Milk production: 0.385 billion litres (4% of national production)
South Australia
Dairy farms: 228
Cows: 75,000
Average herd size: 329
Milk production: 0.505 billion litres (5% of national production)
Murray Region, Northern Victoria and Southern NSW
Dairy farms: 1,372
Cows: 350,000
Average herd size: 255
Milk production: 2.074 billion litres (22% of national production)
Western Victoria
Dairy farms: 1,274
Cows: 347,000
Average herd size: 272
Milk production: 2.066 billion litres (22% of national production
Gippsland Region, Victoria
Dairy farms: 1,324
Cows: 334,000
Average herd size: 252
Milk production: 1.987 billion litres (21% of national production)
Subtropical Region, Queensland, NSW
Dairy farms: 519
Cows: 100,000
Average herd size: 193
Milk production: 0.542 billion litres (6% of national production)
New South Wales
Dairy farms: 411
Cows: 114,000
Average herd size: 277
Milk production: 0.817 billion litres (9% of national production)
Tasmania
Dairy farms: 412
Cows: 175,000
Average herd size: 425
Milk production: 0.913 billion litres (10% of national production)
