Oldest SA merino stud on market as flock numbers hit record lows

Owners of the state’s oldest continuously operating merino stud at Anlaby Station had more than 1900 visitors onsite for their final Spring Festival on the weekend as the couple continue their search for a property buyer.

Andrew Morphett and Peter Hayward have spent the past 22 years restoring the historic homestead, heritage buildings and 10 acres of gardens established by Frederick Dutton in 1839. A site renowned for its national wool fashion awards and events.

“If we wait until we’re too old to run it, and everything starts to go downhill, that’s not in the best interest of the property or us for that matter. So we decided that it is better to go while we’re still operating and it’s still improving,” Morphett told InDaily.

Anlaby Station sits just north of Kapunda and is a cornerstone of the state’s pastoral heritage. It is home to the nation’s oldest sheep flock that currently has just under 2000 breeding ewes.

The planned sale comes amid new data from agribusiness bank Rabobank revealing Australian sheep inventory estimates were among the lowest since the early 1900s.

Current numbers in Australia are around 66 million head of sheep today, compared to its peak of 180 million in 1970, while an Australian Wool Innovation production forecast report estimated SA’s sheep flock numbers were around 9.9 million.

RaboResearch senior analyst Angus Gidley-Baird said the nation’s flock is close to record lows, with production growth set to remain constrained in the next five years.

“Seasonal uncertainty remains a factor, but there are also more persistent constraints. High restocking costs mean producers are being asked to reinvest at historically-elevated prices, while labour availability and labour costs continue to challenge many sheep enterprises,” Gidley-Baird said.

“Running more sheep generally requires more labour for activities such as drenching, crutching and shearing. That labour intensity is one of the key reasons we don’t expect a material increase in flock numbers over the medium term.”

Morphett said the industry would not want flock numbers to continue to dwindle, but said the rising wool prices was positive.

“When we first came here, it was about $8 a kilo for wool, and we thought you’re not going to make an awful lot of money to be able to pay for somebody to repair the tiles and clean gutters and all the other things that need to happen,” he said. Elders Wool Market update lists the current price at $18.50 a kilo.

“Over the last two years, the wool prices have come back again. People are interested. A lot of people have gotten out of the industry, which is good and bad.

“On one hand you want a good strong industry, but on the other hand, people who were not serious about wool production have left, and the people who are passionate about wool and sheep are still here and really taking the industry forward.”

Stay informed, dailyAustralia is the world’s largest exporter of wool. However, Australian wool exports eased to $2.4 billion in 2024-25, down 11 per cent from the previous year, with China buying $2.1 billion of the total.

But Morphett said it was European buyers that were having an influence on what was being produced in Australia.

“There is still a very good market for fibre going into Europe, like European mills and the UK, they’re still buyers, and they’re looking for premium fibres,” he said.

“People are now producing better quality wool, finer wool, and it is now able to be used again through advances in manufacturing.

“Hopefully what will happen is people will discover wearing wool again, and then there will be a continued market for wool fibre, and then there will be a reason for people to re-enter the industry and increase their flock sizes.”

Livestock SA chair Gillian Fennell told InDaily the public should “be aware but not alarmed”, with drought conditions across the past three years contributing to the “drastic shrinking” in sheep numbers.

“For SA’s livestock industry, it’s really good news if you’re selling sheep, but it’s really bad news if you’re trying to buy sheep,” Fennell said.

“In our particular circumstances, after the drought a lot of people sold their stock but they’re now looking to restock. But those sheep that they need to buy don’t exist and if they do exist they’re very, very expensive.

“Whilst people try to rebuild their flocks, they will be trying to get their hands on sheep wherever they can and at the supermarket it’s probably not going to be great news for the consumer.”

Fennell said the livestock sector had to pay attention and maintain flocks of a certain size or risk reaching a point “where we are no longer self-sustaining”.

“We’ve got to keep an eye on and make sure your farmers can keep farming because we want people to eat what we grow, we want to make sure they can afford to eat what we grow,” she said.

Stay informed, dailyAccording to RaboResearch, global demand for sheep meat and wool is expected to remain strong and growing, driven primarily by population growth and rising incomes across Africa and Asia.

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