THE Goulburn Showgrounds will be a carousel of colour this weekend for the Carousel of Colour - Southern NSW Alpaca Region Colourbration Show.
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July will see the official anniversary of the Australian Alpaca Association, and so the Colourbration show will showcase some of the best alpacas from around the east coast of Australia.
Angela Smith from One Tree Hill Alpacas at Murrumbateman is the convenor of the show, and says that the alpaca industry has proven to be extremely popular across not only Australia but the world.
“It’s a massive job convening this show and I’m certainly looking forward to it,” she said.
“We’ve actually managed to get the Peruvian Ambassador Mr Luis Quesada and Goulburn Mayor Geoff Kettle to come and officially open the show from 9am onwards, and they will stay for a couple of hours to conduct the official opening and have a tour around.
“This will certainly be a huge coup for Goulburn.”
Alpacas are members of the Camelid family, along with llamas and camels. The two main species bred in Australia are the Huacaya and Suri alpacas.
They were first imported into Australia in 1858 from countries such as Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
Their lifespan is normally between 15-20 years. A mature alpaca can weigh between 60- 100kgs and is usually between 85 and 95 cm tall.
Alpaca babies, known as ‘crias’ at birth usually weigh between six and eight kilograms.
Their fleece comes in more than 22 natural colour shades from white through to black, with an annual fleece growth rate of 80-150mm.
The fleece can weigh anything from 1.5kgs (for a ‘junior’ or first fleece) up to 8kg (from a mature individual).
As part of the Colourbration event, there will also be the Alpaca Youth Paraders Competition, which was developed with the intention to engage youth about alpacas and keep them employed in the alpaca industry in the years to come.
“The competition was also developed to capture their interest and to develop them into the skilled alpaca owners and breeders of the future,” Ms Smith said.
“We are expecting 30-40 entries representing at least 10 schools and agricultural colleges from within NSW, but there may also be representatives from interstate. In short, this event is run as an educational event for youth within the alpaca industry.”
Robert Harborne and his wife Sue own the Eaglewood Alpaca Stud, also near Murrumbateman, and they are looking forward to the show.
Mr Harborne is also the President of the Southern NSW region of the Australian Alpaca Association.
“The Carousel of Colour is the largest alpaca show put on by the Southern NSW Alpaca Association,” Mr Harborne said.
“There will be over 200 animals exhibited plus Junior handlers from across the state. The Carousel of Colour is also slightly different to other shows as it gives recognition to each colour.
Each colour is judged independently and at the end of a colour judging of which there are seven different colours, there will be an ultimate champion coloured animal awarded. Exhibitors will be travelling from across NSW and Victoria to compete.”
Mr Harborne explained that the show was not only a great challenge to win for Eaglewood, but that it was one of the key events of the year for the AAA.
“For Eaglewood Alpacas it is a great challenge to win at shows of this calibre,” he said.
“Hopefully when a stud performs well in the show ring it translates to increased demand for their genetics and animals in the sales arena.
“For the Association this is one of the key events we are putting on with the able assistance of the convenors Angela Smith and Carolyn Austin. To highlight the Alpacas in our region is a key objective to encourage more people to start alpaca farming.”
Mr Harborne said alpacas were highly suited to the Southern Tablelands region, as the climate was just right for them.
“They do not get fly strike or lice, and live until approximately 20 years of age,” he said.
“The Alpaca not only is used as a premium fibre but are also ideal herd guards for sheep, protecting them against fox predation.
“Two alpaca herd guards can be repaid to the farmer by saving just three to four lambs. Alpacas have also recently ventured into the meat market, producing a highly desirable product for restaurants.”
