POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Wool specimens bred by Thomas Gibson at Esk Vale Station, Tasmania

Object No. F7261

The wool collection held by the Powerhouse Museum contains thousands of wool samples collected between 1804 and 2003. These samples provide a record of wool growing in Australia. The different fleeces reflect the breeding programs and environmental conditions under which the fleeces were grown and, as such, they provide a valuable history of the areas of Australia in which sheep were grazed. Sheep were introduced into Australia in 1788 from Cape Town in South Africa. Since then sheep from other countries, including the Spanish Merino were imported into Australia and selectively crossbred. Careful crossbreeding, paying particular attention to the impact of the environment on both animal and fleece, led to the evolution of the Australian Merino. It is an excellent example of the engineering, through selective breeding, of a domestic animal. Wool went on to become the mainstay of the Australian Economy from 1807 to 1960. This particular specimen of wool came from a sheep bred at Esk Vale station in Tasmania. The station was founded by Thomas Gibson in 1880. Gibson established his flock using sheep from St Johnstone station, and later used Scone station bloodlines for breeding. Esk Vale produced sheep of large size with great density of wool, factors which resulted in big prices at sheep sales. By the 1890s Esk Vale was a major force in the merino industry and gathered fame through its famous sire Pilgrim and his progeny. Erika Dicker Assistant Curator October 2007 Reference: Charles Massy. 'The Australian Merino', Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Victoria, 1990.