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Wendy & David Dennis run a Polwarth sheep and wool growing enterprise on their historic Birregurra property 'Tarndwarncoort', established 1840, in Western Victoria. Polwarth sheep were developed by Richard Dennis at Tarndwarncoort in 1880, by crossing Saxon Merino sheep from Tasmania with Victorian Lincoln sheep. This progeny was then joined back to the Merino and breed to a fixed type. These sheep were named after the local electorate of Polwarth and are Australia's first breed of sheep. www.polwarth.com.au
Products
Fleece Wool
Unique Australian Polwarth wool is soft, high yielding, well crimped, 24 micron with a 10-12 cm staple, ideally suited to handspinning.
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One thousand white and naturally coloured sheep wear specially designed sheepcoats all year eliminating dust, mud, grass seeds and a harsh burnt and bleached wool tip.
The annual March shearing has been completed. Despite the severe drought contitions in Western Victoria, our coated Polwarth natural coloured wool is a dream to handspin. Elite quality fleece staple length is over 13cm and up to 17cm.Export quality 10 - 12.5cm. Our natural colours range from white through the silver greys, mid to dark greys and black. We also have browns from tan to dark chocolate in colour.
Yarn
Our four and eight ply Polwarth yarn is worsted spun and sold in approximately one hundred and fifty gram hanks.
The natural wool colours are white, silver and dark grey/brown. These colours are also available blended with mulberry silk or hand-dyed in a wide range of colour effects.
Sample Packs
Handspinners or Handknitters product sample pack are available at $20 each, posted Australia wide OR $30 posted Internationally.
Spinning Equipment
Majacraft spinning wheels and equipment are also available.
Our Polwarth Wool Room has:-
- Selected natural coloured coated fleeces.
- Worsted spun 4ply & 8ply Polwarth yarn.
- Combed tops in natural white, silver grey or dark grey/brown or blended with silk.
- Combed tops hand dyed.
- Carded rovings in white or silver grey or hand dyed.
- Hand knitted jumpers, scarves and beanies.
- Embroidery yarns in many hand dyed colours.
- Knitting needles made from casein milk powder.
- Majacraft spinning wheels and equipment.
- Kraftkolour Landscape wool dyes.
- Wool Pages 2008 booklet.
- International 'Back to Back' Wool Challenge information.
- Brochures on our holiday cottages.
Handspinners, weavers, machine and handknitters, embroiderers and woolcrafters or handknit hunters are most welcome to visit our woolroom, but please phone first. We can mail order Australia wide and overseas.
Our Retail Outlets:-
We will be at the following Victorian 2008 events:
Sheep & Wool Show 18 - 20 July, Bendigo
Birregurra Festival 5 - 6 October
You can buy our Polwarth wool from Tourist Information Centres at Apollo Bay, Colac and Lorne.
Also at:
Flying Fishes, Lorne
National Wool Museum, Geelong
Otway Fly Tree Walk, Lavers Hill
Tasmanian Wool Centre, Ross
Also available overseas:
Canada - Rovings - www.rovings.com
Japan - Spin House Ponta - www.spinhouse-ponta.com
The Netherlands - The Spinners - www.despinners.nl

Wool Pages
An annual directory of the Australian Wool Industry.
Contact Wendy for your annual copy of Wool Pages, the 'where to find it' in wool at $5.00 posted. Make cheques payable to Australian Wool Showcase. It contains all the contact details from a calendar of events to processing,sheep associations, trade, woolcraft, wool organisations and wool products plus much more.
Supported by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).
Please 'Right-Click' the download link and then 'Save Target As' to Download the Entry Form for Wool Pages 2009.
International Back to Back Wool Challenge
Please 'Right-Click' the download link and then 'Save Target As' to Download the Entry Form for the 2009 International Back to Back Wool Challenge
Click Here for the 2008 Results.
Click Here to read the International Back to Back Wool Challenge Story
Click Here to see Rules & Pattern
The 15th International 'Back to Back' Wool Challenge will be on or before Sunday 7 June 2009.

![]() | Tarndwarncoort Country Living |
Two self contained cottages in a peaceful & private setting overlooking the Western Plains & Mt.Gellibrand. Forty five minute drive through the Otway Ranges to Lorne seaside resort and the Great Ocean Road.
* One & three quarters hour drive from Melbourne.
* Three quarters hour drive west from Geelong on the Princes Highway.
* Five Minutes from Birregurra 'By the Barwon' - our local country plastic bag free historic town.
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* Birregurra has a morning and evening daily train service running between Melbourne and Warrnambool.
* A mini bus hire service is available out of Birregurra for Otway and Ocean trips, lakes & craters trips or Ballarat's famous Sovereign Hill gold mining tour for larger group stays.
* And there is excellent eating out at Birregurra or Colac.
Tarndwarncoort Cottage accommodates up to four people. One double, two single beds in two bedrooms. Open log wood fire.
Moorpark Cottage accommodates up to six people. One queen, one double, two single beds in three bedrooms.
Both cottages have:
Price from $39 to $66 per person per night. (Minimum of 2 people).
- Full linen & electric blankets
- Fully equipped kitchens
- Comfortable living areas
- Sunny verandahs
- Radio & colour TV
- BBQ's
Discounts for three nights and longer stays plus woolcrafters.
For two or more nights stay, guests receive
* one complimentary breakfast basket.
* coffee voucher to Mummaz Cafe, Birregurra.
So take some time out. Visit our woolroom, stay a night or three in our cottages. Enjoy fresh country air. Gaze at the star studded clear southern night skies. Take a trip to the sea and discover the wonders of the internationally recognised scenic sculptured Great Ocean Road, famous 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Blowhole and the shipwreck coast. Discover the recently opened coastal walks or picnic at one of the many Otway forest waterfalls. Glow worms, blackwood, myrtle beech and tree ferns at Melba Gully. Californian Redwoods at Hopetoun Falls. Lake Elizabeth, home to platypus and many water birds. Meander around the lakes and craters between Colac and Camperdown, drive through the Stoney Rises or marvel at the view from Red Rock.![]()
Birregurra and Colac have Heritage Walks and Birregurra by the Barwon River has a weekend Festival in October.
Apollo Bay has a Foreshore Market every Saturday morning with fresh local produce, art, craft and music. We're also only an easy hour and a quarters drive from the historic gold city of Ballarat and Sovereign Hill. An undulating Tarndwarncoort Discovery Walking Trail is now ready to be explored. Wander through paddocks of Polwarth sheep and gaze at the Otways to the south and Mt. Gellibrand, Mt. Buninyong and the Western Plains to the north.
So come and taste our local food and wines, enjoy nature and recharge the batteries.
