Migration of Sheep Industry in Early Australia

First considered of value for only meat and diary, sheep followed in the settlers' footsteps. Awareness of wool as a commercial opportunity gave the sheep industry independence to go and grow where it must

Reproduced from Australian Encyclopaedia, circa 1950

The Pioneer Studs. During the early years of the century, improvement in the quality of sheep in New South Wales was largely in the hands of the Macarthurs of Camden. Until the disposal of their stud in 1846-50 they were steadfast in their support of the Spanish Merino type. Other breeders turned to famous Silesian and Saxon studs for their basic stock.

Edward Riley, who exported wool as early as 1812, began to introduce the blood of the Elector of Saxony’s flocks about 1820, and his stud sheep exercised a powerful influence during the following 30 years. Other notable breeders were James Walker of Wallerawang, near Mudgee, the first of the influential studs west of the Blue Mountains; members of the Cox family, whose founder, William Cox, had been the first to sell the progeny of the Waterhouse importation for substantial prices; and William Faithfull of Springfield, near Coulburn.

In Tasmania, where the industry had been established on a small scale by the first settlers in 1803-4, impetus was given to it by the infusion of stock from Macarthur’s flocks in 1820, by the establishment of the Van Diemen’s Land Company (q.v.) in 1825, and by the importations of the Cressy Company in 1826-7. (The latter company was founded in London in 1825 to breed stock; it was granted land in New South Wales where it first functioned, as well as in Tasmania.

The partnership was dissolved in 1828.) The studs of the Kermodes, the Taylors of St Johnston and the Learmonths all stemmed from Cressy Company strains, and, later, many Victorian studs contained the same blood. The Van Diemen’s Land Company concentrated in their early years on importing Cotswolds and Leicesters, but later added Saxon Merinos to their flocks. By 1828 there were about 680,000 sheep in Tasmania and by 1840 the total had grown to a million.

Sheep were introduced to Western Australia in 1829, the first shipments coming from Tasmania. The industry had a chequered career during its early years as the pastures and climate were not suited to the fine-wool Merino of Tasmania, and, in addition, considerable losses of stock occurred from poisonous weeds.

By 1860 the number of sheep in Western Australia was only 260,000 and there were not a million sheep in the West till 1879. It was not until the more robust types of Merinos were available that sheep-breeding in Western Australia made much progress.

Sheep history in Victoria (then the Port Phillip District) dates from 1834, late in which year a few Merinos sent from Tasmania reached Edward Henty’s newly established settlement at Portland. In 1835 William Forlonge landed at Port Phillip with Saxon Merinos and so shared with the Hentys the distinction of founding the sheepbreeding industry in what is now Victoria.

Before 1840 many flocks were overlanded from north of the Murray River and totals grew rapidly. In 1836 there were approximately 41,000 sheep in Victoria, in 1833 more than 310,000, and by 1842 more than a million. By 1851 the number was 6,000,000. The foundation flocks of Victoria were of higher quality than those of the other colonies, mainly due to the fact that they owed their inception to the well-established and experienced Tasmanian breeders.

In South Australia the first stock was landed in 1836 for the South Australian Company (q.v.) from the ship John Pine. It included both Merino and Leicester rams. In the same year 70 sheep were brought from Tasmania and were grazed on the plain between Glenelg and Adelaide. Many flocks were overlanded from eastern Australia and the industry made considerable progress. The subsequent evolution of the South Australian Merino had a profound effect on the Australian sheep industry.

Although the first settlers at Moreton Bay (in the area subsequently known as Queensland) took sheep with them, the industry did not achieve any importance until the opening of the Darling Downs in the 1840s. The Darling Downs had been discovered in 1827 by Allan Cunningham (q.v.) but settlement did not begin there until Patrick Leslie established Canning Downs station, 13 years later.

Thereafter progress was rapid, and within a few years more than a million sheep were being pastured on the Queensland plains. Most of the pioneer studs were on the Darling Downs but others were founded to the north and west. Of all the States, Queensland has remained most faithful to the Merino, and English breeds and crossbreeds have never attained more than a foothold there.

Period 1840-60 ~ Industry Setbacks

The sheepbreeding industry in Australia received a severe setback in the early 1840s. The open grazing lands had been overstocked, and when the country experienced a series of droughts losses were heavy.

A financial depression and low wool-prices aggravated the plight of the sheep-owner. Sheep were sold for as little as sixpence (6d.) each and hundreds of thousands were disposed of at two shillings (2s.) each. The industry in some districts was saved by the practice of boiling down the sheep for tallow instead of keeping it for its wool.

Henry O’Brien of Douro station, near Yass, N.S.W., was responsible for putting this method of disposing of surplus stock (cattle as well as sheep) on a firm foundation. He carried out a thorough investigation of the practice and by letters to the Press passed on his findings to his fellow pastoralists. Works for the processing of tallow were quickly established around Sydney and, later, in many country centres. Tallow exports increased from 4660 tons in 1843 to 128,000 tons in 1850.

Gold vs Golden Fleece

The discovery of gold in the early 1850s affected the sheep industry. With the movement of nearly all labour to the goldfields, shepherds became scarce, and sheep which previously had been tended in flocks of two or three hundred now had to he looked after in much larger groups.

This development was largely responsible for the introduction of fences in the sheep-lands. Usually they enclosed large areas, and the change proved to be beneficial for the Merinos, since when left to fend for themselves they became healthier, grew bigger frames, and had cleaner fleeces than under shepherding conditions.

Need for Breeding Diversity

As the Merino spread across the continent, the necessity of evolving various types of sheep to suit different areas became apparent.

This was particularly evident on the dry, shadeless plains where the almost constant sunshine had an injurious effect on the fleeces of animals bred for cooler and moister climates. By the late 1850s sheep from Tasmania, the Western district of Victoria, and the Mudgee area of New South Wales had reached a high standard of breeding; but their fine, comparatively short fleeces were not suitable for the Riverina district of New Sooth Wales or the inland parts of South Australia and Queensland.

This need for evolving a suitable animal for a particular environment has been a challenge which has been successfully met, in spite of errors, by the sheepbreeders of Australia.

Notable among the new types evolved were the Peppin Merino and the South Australian Merino.