She may live in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland but beef producer Maree Duncombe isn't afraid to travel great distances to secure quality cattle.
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Ms Duncombe runs her 300 head breeding herd on 930 hectares at Conondale Station, on the Mary River at Conondale.
"I am exactly halfway between Kenilworth and Maleny, and the country runs from hills to creek flats in the ticky area," she said.
"It is country which I know really well and I grew up with Brahman and Brahman cross cattle, and I love a good Brahman."
While she watched her father take his cattle through to the bullock market, she changed management plans and crosses her Brahman breeders with Charolais bulls for the weaner market.
It was back in February 2012, that Ms Duncombe first saw a line of the Condon family's Conjuboy-bred heifers from Tully offered for sale and she secured them.
"I still have them, they were Conjuboy number ones, which are now 13 years and are my lead cows and deliver me a calf every year," she said.
It was a decision she still looks back with pride and attributes all the qualities of her breeding herd.
She said her father had bought a lot of cattle from all parts of Queensland and taught her the areas where cattle would do well on their country.
"It is certainly the northern-bred cattle which are bred east of the Great Divide," she said.
Again last week, she noticed that Conjuboy heifers were for up for sale at Charters Towers, and she quickly switched in gear and rang agent Liam Kirkwood of Ray White Geaney and Kirkwood, who put her in touch with a commission buyer.
After being the losing bidder on the top runs, she was determine to secure the babies of the draft and paid from 320.2c/kg to 207.6c/kg for heifers in the 165 to 265kg weight range.
"I got two decks and paid $665/head," she said.
When Queensland Country Life spoke with Ms Duncombe on Tuesday the northern heifers had just arrived on her property.
The sound of her voice was infectious as she told of their arrival.
"I just love them and they have beautiful temperament, even though they has travelled more than 1000 kilometres and been in a saleyard for a couple of days," she said.
"They will fit into my run of weaner heifers every well."
Ms Duncombe will grow out the heifers and they will be joined at two and a half years of age.
As a rule Ms Duncombe sells her progeny as weaners at 220 to 320kg and six to eight months old.
"I calve out from July onwards, so I start weaning from April through to June," she said.
"I'm very strict with fertility and temperament in both bulls and females. I normally get 80 to 85 per cent of my females back in calf each year, and my cattle are handled regularly."
Apart from the one token Brahman bull Ms Duncombe keeps to breed her replacement breeders, all females are joined to homozygous polled Charolais bulls, she buys from Ascot Charolais.
When buying, Ms Duncombe looks for docile, polled, meaty and thick bulls with good bone.
"I want them so quiet that I don't have to 'watch my back' when working on my own but then I still expect them to get out and do the job when its joining time. I also want low maintenance bulls that look after themselves," she said.
"I may pay a bit extra to get the homozygous polled genetics but when it's branding time it's a nice relief for both the calf and myself as I don't need to dehorn, it's made my job easier and puts less stress on the animals."
She said she found the Brahman/Charolais an ideal cross for the market she aimed for.
"They are naturally polled F1 Charbrays, and I feel that is what gives me a good weaner article," she said.
"I usually sell as weaners when the money is there."
So far this year she has sold 200 weaners through the Shepherdson and Boyd weaner sales, but kept 100 steers back.
Ms Duncombe also has a line of 40 F1 steers for the Toogoolawah weaner sale next month.
"I have planted oats for the first time...and I will see what the market is like when they are 12 to 14 months," she said.
For the past four years Stanhope Cattle Co, Wondai, have bought her weaners and are happy with their results.
"My buyers tell me they're very happy on their end and they continue to buy my weaners annually. I find my cattle appeal to all kinds of buyers as they're naturally quiet and settled at the sale."
After working on her own, Ms Duncombe now has some reliable help from her fiancé Jye Banks, who she will marry in July.
