Summary
Goats were bought to Australia by a series of European settlers and have been part of the landscape ever since. Goats were aboard the first fleet on arrival from England via Africa in 1787 and introductions are recorded from India soon after in 1791 (Parsonson 1998). It is also possible Portuguese, Dutch and other explorers may have released goats in Australia prior to British settlement. Their adaptability to the arid environment that characterises much of the Australian continent has meant that goats have flourished without human management.
The resulting population of feral or Rangeland goats has an unknown genetic composition but likely includes contribution from dairy breeds such as the Alpine and Saanen as well as exotic breeds from Asia and Africa. The animals display a diverse range of phenotypic characteristics, including coat colour, body conformation and fibre type (Figure 1). Information concerning their distribution and abundance is summarized in MLA's Goat RD&E Strategy (2012).
