Annual Shearing of Bungaree’s Famous Flock
Visitors doing a self guided tour of Bungaree will see the shearing team in action from Tuesday 2 – Friday 5 October, and on Monday 8 October, during the property’s 176th annual shearing.
The Woolshed at Bungaree is one of the oldest working woolsheds in Australia. Built in 1842, the woolshed at Bungaree has seen the “de-fleecing” of the property’s famous merino sheep for 176 years. In its heyday, up to 100,000 sheep were shorn in the shed, over a 6 week period by a team of 50 shearers. Today shearing of our 4500 merinos takes closer to 4 or 5 days, by a local shearing team managed by Neville Clarke.
Our visitors are always fascinated by shearing, with frequently asked questions being:
- How much does a wool bale weigh? Wool bales usually weigh between 180 – 200kg.
- How many fleeces in a wool bale? The number of fleeces that fit into a wool bale depends on the age and size of the sheep being shorn, but generally between 20-30 fleeces per bale.
- How many sheep can a shearer shear in a day? It depends on the skill of the shearer and the size of the sheep. Generally each of our shearers will shear between 150-200 sheep per day.
- How often do you shear? Only once a year, although we “crutch” some of the flock (shearing around the rear and tummy) as required at other times of the year.
- What is the micron of your wool? It ranges with flock and age, but generally between 19 – 21 micron.
Visitors will find out all this and more when they do the self guided tour of the property and see shearing in action. The self guided tour also takes in the Station Store, Church, Homestead Garden and Stableyard, with a series of audiposts (including audio stories specially selected for children), signs and displays around the property.
The self guided tour is available between 10am and 4pm daily, at $15 per person and $7.50 per child for day visitors, with shearing dependent on weather.
Refreshments, including coffee and tea, Clare Valley wines and beers, local produce and cheese platters, can also be purchased from the Station Store “farm shop”.
For further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Bookings for the self guided tour and accommodation can also be made online.