Polwarth Wool

Polwarth Sheep.

The Dennis family business was based on sheep from the very outset. By 1840, Australia’s reputation as a good place to grow wool had started, and Merinos were the sheep of choice. However, the much wetter climate of the Otway Ranges didn’t suit the Merino and the Dennis family decided to fix the poor quality wool they were getting by developing a new breed of sheep, one that could withstand the local environment.

By 1880 they had perfected it and named it Polwarth, after the County it was from. This was Australia’s first sheep, bred to suit it’s environment and is now found in similar climates around the world.

Polwarth Wool.

Polwarths were bred in southwestern Victoria in the late 1800s by combining the best of Merino wool qualities with the hardy endurance of the Lincoln. In the high rainfall district of their home in Tarndwarncoort between Lorne and Colac, this means the wool has a high resistance to wool rot, is long-stapled, soft-handling and high yielding.  It has a dense and even fleece that is bright and high yielding.

What this translates into for spinners and crafters is a wool that is sturdy while still luxuriously soft and even. When knitted up the yarn drapes beautifully and wears well. It is adaptable being suited to everything from fine open weave shawls, throws and baby items and to thick felted sock and huggingly warm beanies scarves mittens and jumpers. 

From grass to garment.

Tarndie Polwarth Wool is grown and created by people and businesses who are good at what they do and uphold standards in the workplace and for the environment while maintaining a sustainable business model to ensure they are able to keep processing our wool into the future. 

In the first instance, Al Dennis and Jemma Lewis grow the wool at Moorpark Farm (which was once part of the Tarndwarncoort run). The sheep are direct descendants of the original flock of Polwarths bred in the 1880s. The sheep graze in an organised pasture system whereby they regularly have fresh pasture and soil underhoof within a moveable fence. This holistic farming method allows the soil to recover over a longer period which better supports growth of healthy pastures. 

Tarndie also uses a small amount of prize winning Polwarth wool from the Potter family in the Otways nearby - Fairview Polwarths.

The wool travels 70km up the road to Geelong for scouring which removes the lanolin, grease and any vegetable matter. The wool industry helped build Geelong over 150 years with grand buildings, vast warehouses and busy processing facilities as the wool that came through the city grew an admirable reputation. We’re proud of our continued links to Geelong Wool. 

Since 2011, Tarndie has been working with a mill in Napier, New Zealand to develop our natural and Origins range of yarns. Their retail store Skeinz is a treasure trove of yarns our Kiwi cousins and visitors to New Zealand should look up.

For a splash of colour, we offer commercially dyed yarn in 8 colours in the Origins range, as well as hand-dyed yarn made in the Homestead Dye Studio using chemical and natural dyes. Tarndie now has a small dyers garden to draw natural dye matter from including eucalyptus cinerea, Japanese indigo, madder and oak.

We encourage use and re-use of wool. As a natural material, wool has an advantageous quality of being biodegrable and renewable. It can easily fit into a circular use system as well – the perfect Tarndie Powlarth Wool garment is used, mended, used and reworked and above all, valued for all the energy that has gone into it.