Australian Bedtime Story: The First Fleet Cattle That Vanished

The Cattle That Vanished In the starving early days of the colony, they were the most valuable creatures in New South Wales. The precious cattle brought out with the First Fleet were meant to secure the future of the settlement. Milk. Breeding stock. Survival. And then they disappeared. Wandered off. Lost. Presumed dead. For years, the struggling colony believed its last hope of self-sufficiency had simply vanished into the bush. But beyond the edge of the settlement, past the thick scrub and sandstone ridges of what we now call the Nepean River region, something extraordinary was happening. The cattle weren’t gone. They were multiplying. When they were rediscovered, wild and thriving, they had become the foundation of Australia’s cattle industry. A mistake. A mystery. And one of the most fortunate accidents in Australian history. Tonight, we tell the story of the herd that disappeared… and quietly built a nation. The Nightline Australian Bedtime Story, weeknights 11:10pm The Nightline with Cheralyn Darcey from 2HD Newcastle and across Australia on the Super Radio Network live weeknights from 8pm to midnight - news, views and a bit of funSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.