The Percy Island Goats are alive, well and being served in Finch Hatton at the Gift Shed Cafe

In a sleepy North Queensland community, one woman is working to save a unique species on the brink of annihilation... and her daughter is making them into snags.

Hidden on a farm in a sleepy North Queensland farming community is a unique breed of animal descended from castaway creatures placed there to feed shipwrecked sailors.

The Colonial Percy Island Goats grew from fourteen different individual goats of various breeds into a unique species that spread across the island.

Now at risk from government culling programs, one Pioneer Valley sugar mill worker is looking to save the breed from extinction.

At a young age, Louise offers some of her goats as pets and sells others as farm animals. Photo: Fergus Gregg

Louise Drew is a Marian mill worker and Brisbane girl who was “corrupted” by a country lad decades ago and settled on his family farm in the small Pioneer Valley community of Finch Hatton.

“As a child, when I was used to go to the Brisbane royal, I always ended up in front of the goats,” Mrs Drew said happily.

Mrs Drew first became involved with herding goats when her son developed lactose intolerance, since then she has kept dairy goats and pet goats at her farm.

She had never considered rearing or breeding a large group of miniature goats until her friend Diana approached her with the opportunity to purchase a dozen Percy Island goats.

Louise and her two large dogs tend to the flock and keep them safe from dingos. Photo: Fergus Gregg

“I probably had 40 originally because we ended up getting a few bucks off the island,” Mrs Drew said.

“Now I’m up to about 80.”

Despite being a short, miniature goat, the Percy Island goats has evolved to have extremely high meat and cream contents for their size and have proven particularly resilient to the parasitic worms that often plague goat farming operations.

Louise and Diana have the exclusive rights to remove goats from the island, as authorised by the state government, and are working with organisations such as the Dairy Goat Society to bring greater recognition to the species.

Owing to their differing ancestry, some of the goats have distinct colouring and many are black with longer coats. Photo: Fergus Gregg

Currently the government intends to eradicate the remnants of the original Percy Island herds, as they have with most other goat populations on Australia’s islands.

For Louise, she will continue to breed and is now working with professional goat breeders in Brisbane, to ensure the survival of the Colonial Percy Island Goat breed, as well as selling the goats as farm animals so that others may grow their own herd.

Kat, Louise's daughter, turns the goats into dishes for her Finch Hatton cafe. Photo: Fergus Gregg

Louise’s daughter, Katrina Drew, is also a Percy Island Goat lover and has begun to include them on her menu at the Gift Shed cafe in Finch Hatton.

After leaving the Pioneer Valley for twenty years, Katrina returned and wanted to introduce something new to her community.

“Having lived in bigger cities, there was nothing local where you could come and actually have good food, good coffee and chill out,” Kat said.

The Gift Shed Cafe in Finch Hatton offers goat dishes as well as others and uses all local ingredients and showcases local artists. Photo: Fergus Gregg

Kat opened the Gift Shed Cafe almost four years ago and feels she’s captured the cafe market in the sleepy Pioneer Valley town.

A trained nutritionist and chef, Kat’s cafe promotes local artists and uses only locally grown ingredients to create its menu, including homemade mayonnaise to top off their signature, and most popular menu, the Percy Island goat sandwich. 

The most popular item on the Gift Shed cafe menu is their Percy Island Goat sandwich. Photo: Fergus Gregg

While the Percy Island goats may make for good eating, both Louise and Kat are amazed by the familial behaviour the animals display, caring for their grandchildren and sleeping together in family units.

The babies crowd around Louise affectionately, following her across her property. Photo: Fergus Gregg

“They’re tough little fellas,” Mrs Drew said, with a twinkle in her eye.

“Quite a good, beautiful little animal.”

If you’re interested in the Percy Island Goats, head to the Gift Shed Cafe in Finch Hatton where you can learn more about them or try some for yourself.

Originally published as The Percy Island Goats are alive, well and being served in Finch Hatton at the Gift Shed Cafe