Macarthurs
In 1797, John Macarthur imported a small flock of merino sheep (3 rams and 5 ewes) from the Cape of Good Hope with the intention of producing fine fleeced sheep at 'Elizabeth Farm', his property in Parramatta. On Macarthur's return to England in 1801, he took with him samples of the fine woolled fleece shorn from the flocks he had cross bred from these first merinos. Showing the wool samples to key figures in the English wool industry caused much excitement, leading to the publishing of the statement given by Macarthur to Lord Hobart outlining the progress of his sheep breeding enterprise in NSW.
...the Climate of New South Wales [is] peculiarly adapted to the increase of fine woolled sheep..." (John Macarthur, 1803)
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Statement of the improvement and progress of the breed of fine woolled sheep in New South Wales by Captain John McArthur. 26 July 1803. Printed. C 995/ A
View of Elizabeth Farm, with an 'X' marking the exact spot where the first sheepwere shorn in Australia, 1894, by E. Camper.
Watercolour. V1B /Parr / 1
> Discover more about the wool industry in Australia
> Find Macarthur family papers and collections, via the Library's catalogue 