Welcome to Toganmain Woolshed
🍸 Thank You From All of Us at Toganmain 🍸
Cocktails in the Yard was a day and night to remember, and it only happened because of the generosity of a great many people. It has taken us a little longer than usual to say so, but our thanks are no less heartfelt for the wait.
Our Sponsors
Our sincere thanks to Michell Wools, Zoetis and Murrumbidgee Council for their support, and to MSD Animal Health for the ear tags that doubled as our drink tokens - a very Toganmain touch.
Our Suppliers
Thank you to Perfect Pour, Tim's Meats, De Bortoli Wines, Casella Wines, Calabria Wines, Deni Party Hire and Thurgate Service Centre.
Getting Everyone There and Home
To MIA Coaches and Robertsons, thank you for bringing our guests out to the woolshed. A special thank you to Toni and Owen at MIA Coaches, whose care for their passengers, on the night and in the weeks since, has been outstanding and is deeply appreciated by everyone involved.
The Entertainment
A very special thank you to our lighting engineer Peter Mandersloot, whose lighting and special effects transformed the yards once the sun went down. Stickie Fingers kept the day humming as they always do, and generously shared the stage with our poet laureate Ralph Greenham. Velvet Sessions then had just about everyone up on the dance floor well into the evening.
Our Volunteers
Finally, to our volunteers - thank you. You set up, you cleaned up, and you were there for every part of the day and night. When the evening took an unexpected turn, your calm, quick response made sure everyone was safe and looked after. We couldn't be prouder of this team.
Looking Ahead
Events like this remind us what makes Toganmain special: a community that turns up, pitches in and looks out for one another. We're already looking forward to welcoming you back to the woolshed.
Chris
On behalf of the Toganmain Woolshed Committee
Available now - Toganmain Woolshed: Then and Now — not to mention all sorts of other goodies! Click the button above to check it out.
Toganmain YouTube Channel
We've made ourselves a YouTube channel. Click the button below to check out the last time Toganmain was used for shearing, as well as a few clips from our most recent working bee.
We'll be adding more videos for your enjoyment soon.
Toganmain Stories
Toganmain has touched a lot of lives — shearers, classers, drovers, station hands, and the families who knew them. We're slowly drawing those memories together, putting names to faces and places to dates, and sharing them on our blog, The Holding Pen, as they come in.
Did you work at Toganmain? Did a parent, an uncle, a neighbour, a friend? We'd love to hear your story.
Where is Toganmain, and how can I visit?
Toganmain sits on the Murrumbidgee River deep in the Riverina, between Darlington Point and Carrathool. Whether you're coming for an event or making a trip of it, our visiting guide shows you how to find us, where to stay, and what to see in the surrounding district.
Can't make it to an Open Day? If you're planning to be in the area, it's sometimes possible to arrange a private tour, depending on the availability of our volunteer guides - and the more notice you give us, the better.
Directions, nearby accommodation and attractions, and the tour request form are all on one page.
Toganmain in the Media
Toganmain has featured on television and, more recently, on a national farming podcast - catch up on the coverage below.
ABC Landline first told our story in July 2024, covering the history of the woolshed and the volunteers working to restore it. Click the button below to watch.
Landline returned in June 2025 with plenty of updates and coverage of our 150th Celebration weekend.
In June 2026, the Farm Machines & In-Betweens podcast came out to the shed. Host John Francic sits down with Christine Chirgwin to explore 150 years of Toganmain and the volunteer effort preserving it.
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Toganmain: A Legacy of Riverina Wool
Nestled between Darlington Point and Carrathool along the Murrumbidgee River, Toganmain Station was a key player in the Riverina's wool industry. Established by Sir Alexander Macleay and expanded by the Robertson family from 1867, it boasted 167,000 acres and significant river frontage. In its prime, the station's massive 75 by 25 metre woolshed, equipped with 110 blade stands and later Wolseley machines, was renowned for its high-quality wool. Toganmain's prosperity mirrored the wool boom of the early 20th century but waned with the advent of synthetic fibres and drought. Today, it remains a symbol of Australia's rich pastoral history.
Even today the woolshed conjures up memories of the great pastoral holdings which occupied Murrumbidgee River frontage from Darlington Point to Hay. The vision for the site is an immersive curated museum that will use recorded oral shearers' stories, written accounts and interpretative signage, to bring to life Australia's vital pastoral history in an environment which stimulates all the senses.
2024 Page Images: Phil Duval
