May2015_Our Alpaca industry celebrates 25 years.
Australian Alpaca Week, May 2 – 10 2015, is an educational initiative of the AAA. It focuses on all that is fascinating and luxurious about alpacas and the advances making Australia a world leader in the industry.
The farms listed below are open for visitors between 10am – 4pm on the 9th May but on Mothers Day the 10th you will find us at Ocean View Estates Winery for “Alpacas in the Vineyard”. Come for a Sunday drive the restaurant is open for morning and afternoon tea and lunch, alpacas to view, children’s activities plus alpaca product on sale for a fabulous Mothers Day present or just to treat yourself!
Paltarra Park Alpacas: 2562 Mt Mee Road OCEAN VIEW
Moonshine Stud: 404 Ocean View Road OCEAN VIEW.
For full details of these local studs and a complete listing of all participating studs in other areas please visit
The Australian Alpaca Association (AAA) is this year celebrating 25 years of farming innovation.
The AAA was formed in 1990 to bring breeders together to focus on developing the potential of the fine fleeced animals and create the Australian alpaca. In its early days here, the beguiling, soft –fleeced South American livestock were admired by many as simply a passing curiosity. But Australia’s pioneering breeders always had a clear vision to create a distinctly Australian alpaca.
AAA President Michelle Malt says, “Today the world is in love with super fine, high quality Australian alpaca, exquisitely bred through the passion, commitment and talent of more than 2,000 breeders around Australia”.
“Our industry has never looked better, with international demand for the fine quality of Australian alpaca genetics and luxurious fleece now at its highest and most far-reaching”, Ms Malt said as she reflected on the beginning of the Australian industry.
“Our early breeders were explorers, looking for ways to borrow from the expertise of our sheep industry and map out a genetic path for alpaca that would be strong enough to build the industry into the business we see today”, Ms Malt said.
“In trade last year, we sent more than 500 Australian alpacas to China in the largest known alpaca export to that textile powerhouse which is founding its national breeding program with our quality genetics”.
“Also in 2014 trade, Turkey chose Australian genetics to start its alpaca industry via a shipment of pregnant females from NSW, and another promising market also opened up in Korea.”
Ms Malt also says “The industry’s international performance is supported by a broader base of achievements all moving the Australian alpaca quickly towards a fully commercial livestock industry”.
Today, the industry has grown from small initial shipments to a national herd of more than 160,000 animals creating a very smart future in Australian farming serving elite breeding, luxury fibre and gourmet meat industries plus the Association now runs one of the most internationally advanced registers of alpaca bloodlines.
Our annual Australian Alpaca Week is fast approaching. During Australian Alpaca Week, May 2-10, this fine and strong future will be yours to feel as alpaca studs from around the country open their gates and invite you to run your hands through the silky soft fleece of the Australian alpaca.
Meet these fascinating animals with their environmentally friendly credentials as they bring increasing value to the agriculture industry, and great personality to Australian farming on lifestyle properties, smallholdings and major pastoral ventures around the nation.
The world has fallen in love with the quality of Australian alpaca, now it’s your turn.
