Overview, origin and history

The Murray Grey is an Australian beef cattle breed that originated in the upper Murray Valley, on the border between New South Wales and Victoria.

The first grey calves appeared in the early twentieth century, particularly in 1905 on the Sutherland family’s Thologolong property, in a herd of black Angus cattle. The origin of these first grey calves is generally traced to the mating of an Angus bull with a Shorthorn cow. These grey animals were later retained and selected, leading to the gradual development of the Murray Grey breed.

The breed spread within Australia and later to other parts of the world, including New Zealand, Asia, North America and Europe. It is used mainly for beef production, both as a pure breed and in crossbreeding systems.

Murray Grey cattle are naturally polled and have a coat ranging from dark grey to silver grey. Selection has focused on practical beef production traits such as docility, calving ease, growth, grazing ability, finishing ability and carcass characteristics.