 The First Fleet brought the initial population of 70 sheep from the Cape of Good Hope to Australia in 1788 . The next shipment was of 30 sheep from Calcutta and Ireland in 1793 . All of the early sheep brought to Australia were exclusively used for the dietary needs of the penal colonies . The beginnings of the Australian wool industry were due to the efforts of Captain John Macarthur . At Macarthur 's urging 16 Spanish merinos were imported in 1797 , effectively beginning the Australian sheep industry . By 1801 Macarthur had 1 @,@ 000 head of sheep , and in 1803 he exported 111 kilograms ( 245 lb ) of wool to England . Today , Macarthur is generally thought of as the father of the Australian sheep industry . 
