Our Story
Millpost Merino superfine yarn comes from the wool grown by our flock of Saxon Poll Merino sheep. Our family has grazed sheep at Millpost, on the NSW Southern Tablelands, since 1922.
David and Judith were early adopters of Permaculture principles and methods. When they first moved to Millpost, it was like most sheep farms in Australia, cleared and windswept. The landscape is now dominated by trees planted over the past few decades: 15 kilometres of windbreaks and woodlots that join remnant native vegetation to form wildlife corridors, while sheltering stock, wildlife and pasture from the desiccating summer winds and the winter gales straight off the Snowy Mountains. The trees also provide firewood for our hearth, timber for building, and fodder for the sheep during the extremes of our seasons.
As well as producing wool we love to grow our own food: fruit, vegies, meat, eggs, milk. We also grow small commercial crops of organic garlic and tomatoes. Three generations of Watsons live and work on Millpost. Even the grandkids are sheep musterers and egg collectors.
Millpost Merino is an exciting new direction for our family farm. After more than thirty years of selling all our wool at auction, we took the plunge and sent the best of our clip off to to New Zealand to be processed into knitting yarn. We hope there are knitters and crocheters out there who are pleased by the prospect of creating garments from Aussie wool from Aussie sheep.
We also owe a huge thank you to Nan Bray and her White Gum Wool enterprise, without her inspiration and guidance we would never have been able to get up and running.
Dharaban (Yam Daisy or Murnong) is the Millpost Merino logo because it seldom survives in heavily grazed paddocks but we are pleased to have a healthy population thriving in our native grassy woodlands. Dharaban along with Bulbine Lily (pictured right) was a staple of the indigenous diet in this region.
