Australian Fleece Competition: Shalimar Park wins top honours

A Merino ewe from the New England region of NSW has added to her growing list of accolades as the Australian Sheep and Wool Show gets underway in Bendigo.

A fleece shorn from a stud Merino ewe has been judged the best in Australia.

Winners of the annual Australian Fleece Competition awards were announced at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo today with honours going to the Shalimar Park Merino stud at Walcha, NSW.

For co-principal Alison van Eyk, winning the grand champion fleece capped off a stellar two years for the ewe it was shorn from, who was judged supreme ewe at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2022 and grand champion ultrafine ewe at the same event this year.

Ms van Eyk said for the ewe’s fleece to go on to be awarded the best of 400 entries at Bendigo was the icing on the cake.

“We have been showing wool here for 15 years but you never think you can get the grand champion,” Ms van Eyk said.

“With so many outstanding fleeces each year, I didn’t think it would ever happen.”

Alison van Eyk from Shalimar Park Merino stud at Walcha, NSW, and Australian Fleece Competition co-ordinator Candice Cordy from Nutrien Ag Solutions with the grand champion fleece at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show at Bendigo.

The fleece initially won its class for ultrafine Merinos, and tested 16.3 micron. It had a greasy fleece weight of 7.3kg, a yield of 69.2 per cent, staple strength of 46 newtons/kilotex, a clean fleece weight of 5.1kg, and was valued at $140.15 at a greasy price of 1902c/kg.

Showing sheep and fleeces is about promotion for Shalimar Park, and Ms van Eyk said they had picked up clients in the past couple of years thanks to the exposure they received when winning show ribbons for sheep and fleeces.

She said she hoped the coming ram selling season would remain healthy despite the tough trading conditions for wool.

“It (lower prices) is something we have seen before,” Ms van Eyk said.

“We have not sold much of last year’s clip yet but we know the prices will come back up.

“Wool is just such a great fibre and beautiful to wear and prices will climb again.”

The champion commercial fleece went to Connorville Station at Cressy, Tasmania.

Two thirds of the fleeces exhibited were donated with this year’s charity Down Syndrome Australia. To date, more than $200,000 has been raised for charity from the auction of competition fleeces.