Koetong wool producer takes fleece from paddock to product, says knitting remains strong post lockdowns

About 400 kilometres north-east of Melbourne in the Upper Murray, you'll find one of Australia's most remote craft stores.

"Koetong is in the middle of nowhere," says owner Meaghan Williams.

"It's in the middle of a state forest. It's just a pub and us, but it's a nice out-of-the-way place."

Ms Williams relocated to her farm 10 years ago and has been running a flock of 150 sheep and 60 alpacas.

She is not your average wool producer.

Ms Williams sells her homegrown, hand-dyed yarn from the farm and meets what she says is a steady demand from knitters and other craft artists.

"We shear here on farm, we scour down in Geelong, we send it to another place and get it carded, and then it all comes back here where I dye it and sell it online, in-store, and at markets," she says.

Ms Williams was introduced to wool by her mother.

"We've all done craft for years, but my mum is an avid spinner. She spins in her sleep," Ms Williams says.

"We go to markets, and Mum spins while she talks to people."

It started with a few sheep and has since grown into a full-time retail business with plans to host workshops at the farm.

"Early on, we were talking to local farmers about how to breed up better, get better fleeces and get better micron, and it just compounded from there," Ms Williams says.

"We had a feral dog problem, so we got some alpaca to protect [the sheep] from foxes and dogs."

During the COVID lockdown in 2020, yarn sales spiked dramatically as more people took up knitting.

Ms Williams says the demand hasn't slowed down, as people have stuck with buying locally produced products.

"People have learnt how to do a lot of different things – knitting, crocheting, weaving," she says.

"And it's not just knitting jumpers.

"People are making some spectacular things, mixing different mediums."

Ms Williams anticipates a growing market.

"I think it'll be interesting to see where it goes in the next few years," she says.

"We are an off-grid farm, and we talk to a lot of people who are moving in that direction.

"They want to learn how to spin, dye, and make their own product and I think that kind of market will open up in the next few years."

Although Ms Williams's shop is remote, she says there are still many people driving to Koetong to see yarn go from paddock to product.

"In summer, we have the alpacas close to the shop, so they will let people feed them," she says.

"But winter is our busiest time. People are quite happy to come out here and spend an afternoon, mostly on weekends.

"We are about to start trading five days a week.

"It's a funny thing; some weeks you don't get many and then you'll get hundreds in one weekend."

Most of Ms Williams's sheep are Corriedale, some are Merino, and she has a small flock of English Leicester.

"We have different colours, spotty sheep, dark sheep, and caramel-coloured sheep," she says.

"People are happy to spend that bit extra [on wool] because they know it will last for 30 years."