6 September 2026
2026 is the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, offering a unique opportunity to showcase the landscapes and people that shape Central Australia. Covering around 75 per cent of the country, the Rangelands are synonymous with the outback, and this vast environment is deeply embedded in Australia’s culture and identity.
The year is also an opportunity to recognise the skill, innovation and professionalism of the people who manage these landscapes. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Livestock Extension Officer Caleb Schwartz recently visited Bec and Steve Cadzow at their Mount Riddock property, 180 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs, to learn more about their approach to pastoralism and what drives their success.
Arriving at Bec and Steve Cadzow’s Mount Riddock property was not unlike something out of a movie. Bison and dairy cows graze calmly in the house paddock. Immaculate lawns framing precisely parked and shiny road trains. A helicopter coming into land while horses wait nearby. There was a certain buzz in the air – a feeling of an operation running at full stride.
Yet what stood out above all were the people. Bec Cadzow brought a confident, and assured presence, full of energy and generosity. As we stood in a rotational grazing cell that recently carried 1,500 heifers and still had grass growing right up to the watering point, the conversation flowed to what leads to success in this part of the world. For Bec, the catalyst is the perspective and worldliness that education can bring. ‘It’s about being open-minded and wanting to learn,’ she said. ‘Those open to learn will usually find a way.’
Mount Riddock, 180 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs, is a stunning landscape of rich alluvial plains, Mitchell grass and the dramatic and beautiful Harts Range. The Cadzow family have been at Mt Riddock since 1986 and are widely recognised as industry innovators with an attention to detail.
Their open-mindedness in exploring new ideas, matched with good management records and an inspiring work ethic, has allowed Bec and Steve to make significant practice changes over the years. Rotational grazing isn’t widely practiced in Central Australia, but for them, the decision made sense from a business perspective. Despite significant upfront costs, they made it happen. ‘The infrastructure paid for itself in two years,’ Bec said. ‘It’s so simple – you just need the energy to do it.’
‘We make our management decisions using data collected both on and off property,’ Bec said. ‘There’s no guesswork in supplementation, worm or lice treatment because the data shows the benefits.’
‘I’m proud to be a pastoralist,’ Bec said, before addressing a common misconception of the pastoralist stereotype. ‘We’re not all big, tough, burly people. We’re not how we’re often portrayed. We care for our land, our cows, and our people.’
Bec goes on to describe Steve’s fondness for a colony of rock wallabies living in the ranges on Mt Riddock. ‘After a fire, Steve will fly over to check on them,’ Bec said. She continued with a story from a muster, when a calf came in with a broken leg. ‘Steve took the time to splint it with a piece of poly pipe and a bandage,’ she added. ‘He cared for it until it fully recovered.’ Small examples perhaps, but indicative of the love pastoralists have for their environment and animals.
It takes considerable effort to successfully manage a grazing enterprise in the highly variable climate of Central Australia. For Bec and Steve, one of the great injustices of pastoralism is that it’s not recognised as a profession. ‘We’re managing entire ecosystems, people, and a business,’ Bec said. ‘It’s still not acknowledged as highly skilled work.’ Yet despite that frustration, she is quick to point to the beauty of the industry. ‘People don’t realise how much fun this life can be!’
On the day we visited, the Cadzows were hosting a Rangeland Management Course for their staff and neighbours. It was an entertaining and informative day, building the capacity of the next generation of land managers. ‘It’s great for the young people to have some fun and socialise with their peers,’ Bec said.
Pastoralism was never part of Bec’s original plan, but she has no regrets. Trained as a teacher in Armidale, she found herself drawn into a very different life when she moved to Central Australia. ‘Every day is different, and a different day is a good day, especially when it’s on a horse.’ More than anything though, it’s the people who define what makes it great. ‘Just being surrounded by happy people.’
Maybe we underestimate what life on the land can offer, and what it already does. Mount Riddock stands as proof that pastoralism can be innovative, thoughtful, and full of opportunity. Pastoralism is often spoken about as if it were a lifestyle rather than a profession, and yet, standing at Mount Riddock, it is impossible to ignore the successful management of a business that must think years ahead while responding to the day in front of it. Perhaps success is something that could be learnt. If that’s the case, there may be few better professionals to learn from than Bec and Steve Cadzow.
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is proud to sponsor the 23rd Australian Rangeland Society Conference, being held in Darwin from 7-11 September 2026. Bringing together researchers, pastoralists, land managers and industry professionals, the conference is an opportunity to share knowledge, showcase innovation and celebrate the people who are shaping the future of Australia’s rangelands.
