Random Facts About the Australian Wool Industry

Did you know?

• Australia is the world’s largest producer of wool
• In 2004/2005 there were 107 million sheep shorn in Australia producing 475 million kg of greasy wool.
• The Australian flock was composed of 84.6% Merino as of 30 June 2003.
• It takes about 50 skirted fleeces to fill a wool bale.
• A very good shearer can shear up to 200 sheep per day. This equates to shifting 10 tonnes of sheep a day and the wool off these sheep will weigh nearly a tonne.
• Jacky Howe’s vital statistics: Howe weighed 18 stone (114 kg), with a 50 ins (127 cm) chest, 27½ ins (70 cm) thigh, 17 ins (43 cm) biceps and a hand the size of a small tennis racket

Everybody knows that the stockman’s hall of fame is in Longreach QLD. But where is the shearer’s hall of fame? Answer Below Trivia AnswerHay NSW. If you visit the shearers hall of fame (along with lots of other activities) you can try out some hand shears just to see what an achievement it was to shear 321 sheep by hand. Go to http://www.visithay.com.au/shearoutback.html for all the details of the shearer’s hall of fame.