These are the people who grow your clothes. Their passion, dedication and commitment, woven together to grow the finest fleece in the world.
At the heart of the Australian wool industry are the tens of thousands of woolgrowers who work tirelessly to look after their sheep and the land on which they graze. These woolgrowers have been the backbone of Australia for centuries, choosing to grow wool instead of other commodities. They take great pride in what they do and produce the world’s best wool. Australian woolgrowers implement innovative and sustainable farming practices to secure the industry’s future.
John Wallace of ‘Wallbrook’ (left) and Dave Vandenberghe from ‘Red Gully’ (right) both firmly believe that as Australian woolgrowers, they are true custodians of the land.
Most farms in Australia continue to be family owned and operated, and many rural and regional districts rely heavily on the wool industry.
This inherent bond in the community has contributed the great advancements Australian farmers have made in Merino wool production during the past 200 years. Today, woolgrowers are justifiably proud that Australia has the world’s most advanced wool industry. Australia's wool industry has a highly developed wool marketing system; a trained and registered workforce of more than 17,000 wool-classers, and objective laboratory test results for almost every bale of Merino wool exported.
From the high rainfall areas of the eastern seaboard to the drier pastoral areas of the west, woolgrowers work to preserve, protect and improve the natural resources of their farms; the waterways, valleys and hills, and native plants and animals. Indeed, these farmers often have the goal to leave their land in a better state than when they arrived.
Ethical and environmentally-sensitive farming can be as important for today's discerning customer as the quality of the clothing itself. Due to Australia’s advanced and transparent wool industry, we’re able to trace wool back to the property where it was produced, providing consumers with confidence in the origins and quality of their Merino wool clothes.
Click on the wool-growing farms below to meet the people behind the Australian wool industry.
Visit the farms
NSW
Visit the farms
TAS
Visit the farms
VIC
Visit the farms
WA
The Woolmark Company is active in organising training and management events for woolgrower networks, spreading new, forward-thinking ideas and continuing education and the adoption of best practice.
One of our most successful workshops is the Lifetime Ewe Management course, which focuses on ewe nutrition.
We also support the education of the next generation of Australian woolgrowers with competitions for school and tertiary students. Our annual National Merino Challenge encourages young people in the wool industry to showcase their learnings and expertise, securing the industry’s future.
Sustainability and wool
Greening Australia and sustainable wool
Through its collaborative engagement with woolgrowers, Greening Australia is well on its way to achieving its namesake mission. “We use the best science to understand the issues facing those landscapes and source revenue from wherever we can to execute our plan,” explains Sebastian Burgess, the Director of Conservation for the Tasmanian Branch of the non-government organisation. Recently, Burgess and his team’s focus has been on the Tasmanian Midlands, comprising the areas surrounding the towns of Conara, Campbell Town, Ross and Tunbridge, making up the Tasmanian Island Ark program.
Farming
Shearers
We offer training and workshops for our world-class shearers, ensuring they employ the latest and safest techniques, helping optimise both their personal health and the sheep’s wellbeing. We work with industry organisations and contractors and invest in regional coaching programs which are fundamental to education and the adoption of best practice.