Shearing shed upgrades explode across the country

Good commodity prices and seasons are behind an explosion of new shearing sheds. Take a look inside the Glendemar Merinos shed with our exclusive drone footage.

A run of good commodity prices, good seasons, tax incentives and the desire to attract shearers has meant the number of shearing shed upgrades has exploded.

It’s been a common topic of conversation on social media recently, with many producers and shed design companies discussing the pros and cons of different elements.

Ben and Cheryl Duxson of Glendemar Multi Purpose Merinos at Marnoo are waiting for the final elements of their new shearing shed to be built ahead of shearing at the end of this month.

Ben Duxson from Glendemar Park Merinos in his new shearing shed which features a curved flat board. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Mr Duxson said parts of their old shed were more than 100 years old and the shed was not functional with a small board making it hard to fit four shearers and rouseabouts.

He said the driving force behind the new shed was providing the best facilities for shearers.

“It is pretty important to provide the best facilities as we expect the best job from them,” he said.

“We’ve been taking the time to get it right, and I visited about 10 sheds to see what design features we wanted.”

The new shed will feature a curved flat board, sloping board, front filling pens, fibre reinforced plastic grating, a lunch room and fans on each stand.

Ben Duxson from Glendemar Park Merinos in his new shearing shed. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Next Mr Duxson said they would be converting another building on the property into on-site accommodation for shearers.

“It is pretty exciting we can do infrastructure upgrades like this, we are in it for the long haul and I want quality people coming back to work, so we need to provide quality,” he said.

The Glendemar shearing shed is almost complete. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Australian Wool Innovation chief executive John Roberts said they’re hearing of an increased number of shearing sheds being upgraded or rebuilt right across the country.

Mr Roberts said there were a number of factors at play, including the Government’s instant asset right off and shearers and contractors now being in a position to be more selective about the shed conditions they are willing to work in and also an increased focus on shed safety.

When upgrading Mr Roberts said safety and animal welfare was first and foremost to consider.

“Amenities are also high on the list, as is sheep flow and efficiencies for woolhandling,” he said.