About us - Brocburn Dorpers

We intend to expand Brocburn Dorper & White Dorper Stud and we hope to relocate to a larger property in the near future, so our home for the last 23 years is reluctantly on the market. To find out more check http://www.owner.com.au/phototour/listing_
phototour.cfm?listingid=42558&sellerid=36457. If a purchaser is interested in becoming involved in running dorpers, we would be happy to negotiate a starter flock

More information on the ongoing battle against the unnecessary and anti-competitive Tasmanian restrictions against so-called 'exotic' sheep can be found here.

Tasmania has an enviable reputation locally and internationally as the "clean, green" island state of Australia. Brocburn Dorper Stud is situated in a picturesque valley on the North West Coast of Tasmania, with rainfall here mainly over winter and up to 1500mm (60 inches) per annum, many frosts and occasional light snowfalls. Summers can be very dry.

Prime lamb production with cross-bred wool sheep had proved frustrating, with fluctuating prices for wool often not even covering the costs of shearing. Combined with the rising cost of shearing and the constant risk of flystrike, we began to research other options, "discovering" Dorpers in 1998. The distinctive black headed Dorper appealed to us and the Brocburn Dorper Stud (Stud No. 0037 and Brucellosis Accredited) was established in 1999 with an embryo transfer program.

Over the next two years we worked at increasing our commercial Dorper numbers through upgrading (See Breeding) and also brought in more quality stud stock with the purchase of in-lamb ewes in 2002. These ewes were inspected by South African Dorper judge Dolf Lategan in September 2001 and classed as Type 4 and 5, and were in-lamb to the 2000 Perth Royal Show Grand Champion Ram.

Subsequent purchases in 2004 of high quality in-lamb ewes from NSW have further improved the genetic base of Brocburn Dorpers. Particularly exciting was the birth of two ewe lambs (Figs 1 & 2), from one of the few Type 5 Dorper rams in Australia at that time.

We have been impressed with the performance of our Dorpers and are able to sell finished lambs off grass at 20 weeks weighing an average 22.6 kilograms dressed weight at fat score 2 & 3. With conventional cross-bred wool sheep we typically sold only 40% of each drop as finished lambs at 6 months, with the remaining 60% sold as store lambs.

"This sheep breed is all that we had hoped for. They are easy care, fast growing (even in the harsh, cold, wet winter and spring conditions of Tasmania ) and quiet in temperament. A delight to work with." Jim Lyall