Our Story
Our Family History
Wheat since 1958. Cattle since 1963. Clothes since 2026.
Albury Downs is a family property built on a deep connection to the land, with a long history of producing quality wheat and breeding Santa Gertrudis cattle, a breed renowned for its strength, adaptability and ability to thrive in tough country.
Everything we create is inspired by life on the land: early mornings, long days, hard work and the pride that comes with country living.
1958 · Our Wheat Legacy
In 1958, Maurice Hetherington helped his father, Verney, and Gordon Engle load seed wheat at Kokotungo for transport to the Wheat Board in Toowoomba.
For many years, the family supplied specially grown wheat seed from their property. The grain was carefully grown, graded and bagged, with each bag marked with the V.H. name. Their wheat, including the well-known Festival variety, earned recognition for its quality, winning prizes for best crop in Queensland and best sample at the Sydney Show.
Loading was hard work. At just 16 years old, Maurice carted around 16,000 bags of grain to the Kokotungo rail siding, often working long days with little time for breaks. The arrival of bulk handling in the late 1950s was a welcome change for local growers.
1963 · Santa Gertrudis Heritage
Our cattle story began when the first bull was brought from Texas, USA, and shipped to Brisbane. From there, he travelled by train to Baralaba, where Grandad collected him and took him to our uncle's place at Spotswood Park. Santa Gertrudis cattle were then bred with Zebu cattle, now known as Brahman, laying the foundation for a hardy herd suited to Queensland conditions.
Since then, our focus has remained on breeding practical cattle that perform in tough country: strong-framed, fertile, quiet-tempered, capable mothers, and resilient through heat, distance, ticks and hard seasons. At Albury Downs, we continue to build on that foundation, selecting cattle for how they work in the paddock, not simply how they look in the yard.
Read more about our herd on our Santa Gertrudis Cattle page.
1978 · Albury Downs Established
Albury Downs was established in 1978 by the Hetherington and Semple families, named for James Albury Semple, our great-grandfather. In 2026, we carried that same property into a new line of work: clothing, built the same way we've always done things here.
Authenticity
A real family property, built on hard work, country values and generations of experience.
Quality
From the cattle we breed to the products we create, we believe quality comes from doing things properly and taking pride in the details.
Country life
Albury Downs is shaped by the seasons, the land and the people who call it home. Our story is one of resilience, family and a genuine love for the Australian bush.