Kobler’s annual Queensland alpaca shearing tour began in 2019 with just nine days of shearing. These days it is more than 50! What started as a relatively small trip has grown from strength to strength, expanding each year as more Queensland alpaca owners have joined the route.
We are especially grateful to Sam and Mark from Lakeland Alpacas, whose support and encouragement helped us become established in Queensland. Their assistance during those early years played an important role in building the tour into what it is today.
A strong commitment to Queensland alpaca owners
The COVID border closures created some unusual challenges for an interstate shearing service, but our commitment to Queensland alpaca owners remained strong.
At times, reaching Queensland meant taking the scenic route through Tennant Creek to avoid closed borders. On another occasion, the shearing van was placed on a transport while the team flew north separately. These arrangements were not always easy, but they allowed us to continue supporting owners who relied on the annual tour.
Since those early years, the Queensland run has continued to grow. It now covers thousands of kilometres and includes a wide range of properties, from owners with only a few alpacas through to large commercial herds.
When we visit each Queensland region
Our route changes slightly each year according to booking numbers, weather, travel conditions and the most practical order for moving between properties. The following is an example of the general timing and regions covered during the annual tour.
Early August – Central Queensland
The tour usually begins in Central Queensland, including:
- Roma
- Springsure
- Emerald
- Rockhampton
- Yeppoon
- surrounding Central Highlands and Capricorn Coast districts
Early to mid-August – Wide Bay and Fraser Coast
From Central Queensland, we generally travel south through the Wide Bay–Burnett and Fraser Coast regions, including:
- Bundaberg
- Childers
- Hervey Bay
- Maryborough
- Gympie
- surrounding rural districts
Mid-August – Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay
The next stage normally includes the Sunshine Coast hinterland and northern Brisbane districts, including:
- Noosa
- Cooroy
- Eumundi
- Yandina
- Nambour
- Maleny
- Beerwah
- Caboolture
- Kilcoy
- surrounding Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay areas
Late August to Early September – Brisbane, Gold Coast and Scenic Rim
We then move through South East Queensland, including:
- Kingaroy
- Esk
- Brisbane
- Ipswich
- Logan
- Tamborine
- Beaudesert
- the Gold Coast hinterland
- the Scenic Rim
- surrounding districts
Early to mid-September – Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales
The final part of the Queensland tour often moves through southern Queensland before continuing into New South Wales, including:
- Toowoomba
- Stanthorpe
- Warwick
- Tenterfield
- the Northern Rivers
- surrounding border districts
Professional mobile alpaca shearing
Kobler provides professional, welfare-focused table shearing for alpaca herds of all sizes. Our service includes an experienced shearer and rousie, with toenail trimming and selected animal health treatments available by prior arrangement.
Because the Queensland tour operates as a single travelling route, bookings are carefully scheduled to minimise unnecessary travel and keep the service practical for owners across the state. We generally do not return to an area once that section of the route has been completed.
Owners are contacted well before the tour, provided with a provisional shearing date and then sent an updated arrival time closer to the day.
Supporting Queensland alpaca owners
Queensland has become an important part of our annual shearing season, and we greatly value the trust placed in us by alpaca owners across the state.
Whether we are visiting the beloved pets or a large breeding herd, our goal remains the same: to provide reliable, efficient and welfare-focused shearing while helping Queensland alpaca owners prepare their animals for the warmer months ahead.
We look forward to continuing to support Queensland’s alpaca community for many years to come.