Eliza Forlonge

Who was Eliza Forlonge?

Eliza Forlonge was an Australian pioneer who played a large part in introducing Merino sheep to south-east Australia.

Eliza was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the daughter of Alexander Jack, teacher, and his wife Jean, née Mackinnon.

In 1804, Eliza married John Forlonge, a Glasgow wine merchant. By the mid 1820s, four of her six children had died from tuberculosis. The two surviving sons were William and Andrew. John Forlonge decided to move the family to the warmer climate of Australia.

Aware that fine wool from merino sheep in Saxony, Germany was bringing the highest prices, the Forlonges went to Leipzig to study methods of sheep rearing and wool preparation. Their expertise was enhanced by the use of an instrument to measure wool Eliza made three trips.

In 1828-30 Eliza walked through Saxony buying sheep. She selected the best fine-wool Merino and drove them to Hamburg for shipping to Great Britain. in 1829, the sheep came to Hobart, Van Diemen's Land with son William in the ship Clansman and John moved the sheep to Kenilworth Station, near Campbell Town, Tasmania.