The Sheep Industry In Australia
The first sheep came to Australia on the first fleet in 1788. They were brought from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa by Governor Phillip. The white people wanted the sheep for food and not wool. In 1797 the wool industry started when John Macarthur and Samuel Marsden imported Spanish Merino sheep. A merino sheep is a sheep of a breed with long, fine wool. Approximately 120,000 sheep were recorded in Australia in 1820 and they were all mainly from the Cape of Good Hope, India, England and Ireland. There were only about 5000 merino sheep in Australia that had been imported at that time.
In the 1850s, sheet numbers increased severely to 16 million sheep, 39 sheep per person in Australia.
By 1840, Australia was harvesting over 2 million
In the 1850s, sheet numbers increased severely to 16 million sheep, 39 sheep per person in Australia.
By 1840, Australia was harvesting over 2 million