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How Saxon Merino Sheep Got to Tasmania

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EAST HARDWICK – 
Eliza Forlong was a remarkable woman who in the 1820s walked 1,500 miles throughout Saxony (now part of the Federal Republic of Germany) selecting from the best flock of Saxon Merino sheep. This was an outstanding achievement.

Eliza Jack was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1784, and married John Forlong, a Glasgow wine merchant. After the loss of four of their six children from “consumption” (tuberculosis) Eliza and John accepted medical advice to move to a warmer climate. They decided to emigrate to New South Wales. News that there were good wool growing areas available encouraged them to invest in sheep and wool production.

Eliza and her two sons, William and Andrew, traveled to Saxony, where the best sheep were produced. In Leipzig, Saxony, they studied the sheep and wool industry. Alone, and on foot, Eliza visited many farms, She selected the finest of sheep and attached a lockable tag with a special mark on each, for later collection. She paid the farmers with gold sovereigns she had sewn into her skirts for safekeeping. With her sons, Eliza returned to the farms to gather her sheep then walked them to the port of Hamburg.

In 1829, William accompanied these valuable sheep on the ship, “Clansman,” bound for New South Wales. The ship called at Hobart en route to Sydney for fresh supplies. Governor Arthur, recognizing the quality of the flock offered William 2,600 acres of land to stay in Van Diemen’s Land. William accepted and settled at Kenilworth, north west of Campbell Town.

Kevin Broderick

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