National Wool Museum  

Galleries, Museums and Collections attractions
Geelong

The Museum is Australia's only comprehensive museum of wool, showcasing the Australian wool story - from the sheep s back to the clothes rack, and from the birth of the industry in the 1840 s to its place in the world today. The Museum has two permanent galleries. The first, The Wool Harvest , looks at sheep farming and wool production. Exploring the pastoral aspect of wool in Australia, visitors can follow the path of the fleece through shearing, classing, wool pressing and dispatch. A recreated shearing shed and a film about shearing demonstrate what life in the shearing industry was like. Shearing demonstrations are offered regularly during school holidays and can be arranged for group bookings. Gallery Two, From Fleece to Fabric , looks at the processing of wool into fabric and offers an insight into the people and processes involved in the textile industry. A sequential display of the machinery actually used in the process demonstrates the transformation of fleece to fabric. The 1910 Axminster Jacquard carpet loom is still operated by skilled carpet weavers and produces the Museum s own Manor House Rug . The Museum also has an exciting annual calendar of temporary exhibitions and events. On the Ground Floor, the Museum Shop stocks a wide range of woollen products and unique local crafts while Lamby's Restaurant offers great food, wines, coffee and cakes. The Museum is fully wheel chair accessible.