Elliottdale.
A rare Australian heritage breed with distinctive lustrous fleece. One worth saving.
About the breed.
Elliottdales are an Australian breed developed in Tasmania in the 1960s, crossing local sheep with the long-wool Lincoln breed. The aim was to create a hardy carpet wool sheep suited to Australian conditions. Today, very few breeding flocks remain in the country, and the breed is listed as endangered by the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia.
For us, the appeal is twofold. They're a properly Australian story, and they grow a fleece unlike anything else: long, lustrous and with a real silky shine to it.
- Developed in Tasmania in the 1960s
- Listed as critically rare by the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia
- Long, lustrous fleece, prized by hand spinners
- Hardy, easy keepers, well suited to Australian conditions
- Good mothers, low maintenance lambing
Keeping a rare breed going.
Critically rare breeds need careful breeding decisions and active flocks to keep the gene pool diverse. We're working alongside other Elliottdale breeders and the Rare Breeds Trust to do our part.
If you're seriously interested in this breed, whether for fibre or to help keep it going, we'd love to have a proper conversation with you.
Where we are with Elliottdales.
Numbers available will always be limited. As we learn more about our flock and as breeding plans firm up, we'll post updates on our journal and Instagram.