Wagin: the undisputed sheep capital of WA

It’s home to Australia’s biggest sheep show and the original giant ram, but there’s plenty of other reasons Wagin is the undisputed sheep capital of WA.

With a proud farming tradition dating back to the turn of the 20th century, the area has long been recognised for its reliable sheep grazing country.

And while some WA farmers have abandoned sheep altogether, the tradition remains strong in Wagin where many families are four or more generations deep.

For shire president and mixed farmer Phil Blight, who runs about 2500 breeding ewes, Wagin’s claim to fame looks set to endure for generations to come.

“I think there’s an enthusiasm in the next generation for running sheep again,” he said.

“I think, within reason, those who have stayed in sheep have seen the value in that and continue to see the value in running sheep.”

Mr Blight said there were “a lot of factors” that made Wagin ideal for sheep production — not least of all its stable climate.

Neither too hot nor too dry, the area is characterised by good growing seasons and a high percentage of arable land that lends itself to high stocking rates.

“My family’s been here 120-odd years, but we’re not amongst the earliest pioneers — like the Barrons, the Taylors, the Hamerleys and the Piesses, as well as others that don’t immediately spring to mind,” Mr Blight said.

“My great-grandfather — Robert Russell Blight was his name — came to the Wagin area in about 1902 or 1904 and took up farming in the area. I’m a fourth generation Wagin farmer.”

According to 2021 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Wagin is the number three top sheep producing region in the country, home to about 1.64 million sheep and lambs.

Kojonup narrowly pipped Wagin for the second top spot, boasting 1.73 million sheep and lambs, while Victoria’s Southern Grampians region took the top spot with 2.36 million.

But for Sam West, who runs about 2800 breeding ewes east of Wagin, there’s no question it is WA’s sheep capital.

“The people here are established sheep producers; they know how to do it, they do it well, and it’s a good region for it,” he said.

It was Mr West’s great grandfather Christopher Samuel who started the West family sheep tradition in Wagin.

“My great-grandad was probably one of the first blokes here in 1901,” he said.

Asked whether Wagin Woolorama had helped put the town on the map, Mr West said there was no doubt.

“If you’ve ever tried to explain to someone from the city who’s never been here where Wagin is, you just mention Woolorama and they’ll have a pretty good idea of where we are then,” he said.

Mr Blight described the event as “the feature show of the greater region for agriculture”.

“Wagin becomes a city that weekend, because you have 20,000 plus people in the area,” he said.

Of course, the town’s famous 9m-tall, 13m-long, four tonne steel and fibreglass monument is another major drawcard.

Designed by late sculptor Andrew Hickson and installed in 1985 at a cost of $34,000, Bart was Australia’s biggest sheep until he was eclipsed just months later by The Big Merino: a 15.2m high concrete behemoth in Goulburn, New South Wales.

Originality trumps size, however, and Bart is a source of “pride and ownership” in Wagin according to Mr Blight.

For Mr West, “the place just wouldn’t be the same” without Bart.

“It was probably a novelty for the first 20 years or so but now he’s just part of the town, a fixture,” he said.

Wagin Woolorama will be held March 10 and 11.