SHEARING is well and truly underway at Australia's biggest operating sheep station Rawlinna, 350 kilometres west of the Western Australia/South Australia border.
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The distinct sound of buzzing shears and bleating sheep rips through the summer air, as busy hands work their way through 30,0000 Merinos in the 16-stand, double storey shed.
This year's season - which kicked off in mid-February - is expected to take almost a month.
That is compared to 35,828-head shorn in just under three weeks last year.
Rawlinna station manager Jimmy Wood said there had been difficulties securing shearers, which had affected the length of season.
"We started with seven shearers and now we are up to 10," Mr Wood said.
"We had to get the penner-upper to step in and shear to make up numbers.
"There is a mix of old hands and new guys on the team.
"Some of them have been shearing at Rawlinna for as long as I've been here (five years)."
Mr Wood expected this year's cut to be of good quality - off the back of a dry season - with 800 bales and a 19 micron average.
Ewes and lambs are looking to produce a five and two kilogram wool cut respectively.
"After a pretty dry winter, we had a break in the season with good October rain," he said.
"So while sheep are in pretty good nick and are looking healthy, there are some signs of those drier conditions.
"Lambs are looking decent, but there are still a few scrawnier ones.
"I'd say I'm pretty happy with their condition."
Lambing was poor last season, with an overall 50 per cent average and about 6000 lambs produced.
This is compared to 76pc in 2021, 45pc in 2020 and just 3pc in 2019.
Mr Wood said eastern paddocks on the station recorded 80pc, but the west was significantly lower with 30pc.
He said a very dry winter - except for in the southern half of Rawlinna - had impacted percentages.
"Unfortunately, my lambing ewes were not living in the south, so they missed out," Mr Wood said.
"The upside was my weaners were and they had a great start to the year."
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Mr Wood said the flock number was down slightly on last year because 6000 sheep off-shears were sold.
This included some of the older wethers and wether hoggets, which were sent over east for good money at $200 per head.
Shearing is expected to finish up on Saturday, March 11.
