They’ve got curly locks, love a good cuddle, and have been officially crowned the world’s cutest sheep. And now, thanks to Wildhand in the Adelaide Hills, a small flock of Valais Blacknose Sheep is about to steal the hearts of locals and visitors alike.
Wildhand’s flower-filled, regenerative property is already known for its highland cows and heritage chickens, but now they’re introducing a new star of the farm.
“We were drawn to their incredible beauty and friendly nature,” says Alice Cearns.
“We had seen a few videos of them jumping around online and immediately knew we needed these animals.”
While they didn’t bring the breed into Australia themselves, the farm’s founders have sourced their lambs from breeders with impressive international bloodlines.
“One of our breeders has done extensive research and travel overseas to find new bloodlines of this breed to bring to Australia,” Alice explains.
“Valais Blacknose Sheep aren’t just a pretty face, they behave like loyal dogs and quickly become attached to people.”
“They act like big puppy dogs and if treated properly with love and respect, they will open up their hearts to you and be very loyal and loving pets.”
Getting them onto the property, though, has come with a few surprises.
“It’s been an overwhelming process of learning how to look after this breed’s genetics in Australia,” Alice says.
“I was so surprised at how much they cost per lamb compared to your normal breeds of sheep. But as we discovered the investment that has gone into getting this breed imported into Australia, we started to understand the value.”
Wildhand has partnered with Malakai Valais Blacknose Sheep to secure a ram from a brand-new bloodline.
“This will allow us to produce exceptional genetics with our lambs born in the future and add to the genetics in Australia for other breeders to use and improve on too.”
And while the sheep might be show-stopping cute, it’s the visitor experience that promises to be unforgettable.
“Our new experiences will be very similar to our highland cow experiences,” Alice says.
“However these cute sheep can’t be brushed in order to keep their perfect little curls intact.”
Instead, guests will have the chance to enjoy scratches, cuddles and treat-feeding sessions, and possibly even halter-led walks through the flower fields.
“We won’t know if this is possible until we train them when they get here.”
All of this ties into Wildhand’s broader vision for its 25-acre farm. “
Our future plans are to continue to build biodiversity here and regenerate the land as best we can. The sheep and cows can work together to rotationally graze the paddocks. The flowers feed the wildlife and the chickens work their wonders on the ground.”
Education and environmental connection are key to everything they offer.
“We do this through our animals and flowers. Our guided tours ensure our visitors are offered an experience that is educational so they can take home the knowledge to look after their own land and environment in a better way.”
And what’s next for this joyful pocket of the Hills?
“Our next focus is our farm shop. Alongside the experiences we hope visitors can enjoy taking home a bunch of our flowers and some other farm made products in the future.”
As for more animals?
“We’ve maxed out the amount of animals we can fit on our 25 acre farm. For now at least…”
Wildhand Farm
Where: 19 Bishop Rd, Willunga Hill
For more information, click here.
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