Who brought merinos to Australia?

Answer 1

The first sheep came with the First Fleet in 1788, but these were not merinos.

The Father of Australia's merino sheep industry is John Macarthur. He was a man with a great deal of influence in colonial Australia, and it was he who arranged for the first Merino sheep to be brought to Australia from Spain. The first Spanish Merino sheep were brought to Australia in 1796. This type of Merino was a tough sheep which could handle Australia's extreme conditions. There had been little initial success with grain growing - a situation that was rectified as the colony grew - but sheep were an excellent mainstay, easy to maintain and profitable for both domestic and overseas markets.

Answer 2

John Macarthur brought the first merino sheep to Australia. In 1796, he bought his first merino sheep from a flock of Spanish merino sheep reared in South Africa, and had them shipped to Australia. However, he worked for many more years to cross-breed the Merino into the hardy sheep it later became, suited better to Australian conditions. Macarthur's first bale of Merino wool was sent to England in 1807.

Answer 3

It was imported in 1793 from Spain.