Sheep Shearing

I remember talking to Annemarie about a host of things she would love to do during her trip Downunder. Some were easy, others were of medium difficulty while a few were downright near impossible. One of those impossible missions was watching Sheep Shearing in the Australian outback. I distinctly remember thinking . o O (yeah…) and believed getting her to the Australian Open in Melbourne would be an easier task. How wrong was I…

Imagine my surprise when, having returned to the shade after a victorious 6-a-side cricket match, being told that Annemarie had spoken to and organized our Monday morning at a Sheep Station in the Snowy Mountains. Utterly shocked, I didn’t even know the bloke Les (who I had played a few tournaments with) was a sheep shearer! I am truly grateful for this left-field occurrence as it would turn out that the Australian Open trip would not come to pass. Maybe next time.

Once again this highlights the importance of cricket – you never know what will happen on the day. I know of a couple good blokes who have met their (non-cricket loving) wives while being on some sort of cricket related escapade. Don’t ever rule it out…

Sheep shearing was an experience. I was surprised by how much blood there was, how strong the sheep are and was completely fascinated by the whole drenching process. Everyone enjoyed the educational experience as our guide Les explained everything that was happening, why it was happening and the seasonality and challenges of dealing in wool, etc.

We took some fantastic photos which are linked below. There you go Annemarie, you managed to swing us into something I would have never thought of. Well done. I’d like to do it again for future Australian travellers…