WA studs shine at Bendigo

The depth of WA's Merino breeding once again took on the best at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show at Bendigo at the weekend.

Sheep travel co-ordinator Ashley Lock said the handful of reserve champions did the State proud and all of the WA sheep that made the trip were very competitive.

Of particular interest at the show was the winning national Merino pair, a ram and ewe, displayed by Greenfields stud, Hallet, South Australia.

Stud co-principal Jim Sullivan said the pair were ET bred from East Mundalla 22-137 Jonty, a ram bred by the Gooding family of Lake Grace.

"We have used Jonty over three years and it is breeding the type of sheep that fits into our breeding program," Mr Sullivan said. "This was our first pairs win and best result at Bendigo. The 22.8-micron ram is a 160kg big, robust type that suits our country. The ram and 20-micron ewe also were sashed grand champion strong wools."

The Gooding family, of East Mundalla stud, exhibited Jonty at the 2011 national show, winning the supreme exhibit award.

Other WA exhibitors at this year's show included the Mullan family of Eastville Park stud, Wickepin.

Taking the reserve grand champion strong wool ewe award with a Poll Merino ewe and also being awarded the reserve grand champion medium wool Poll Merino ewe sash, the Mullans were up there with the best placed of all WA Merino and Poll Merino sheep.