Noonbarra Kelpies

The Noonbarra Kelpie Stud is a small, family run, Australian Working Kelpie Stud in NSW. Australia. We are one of the longest established breeders and very well respected, both in Australia and internationally. The Noonbarra Stud is fully registered with the Working Kelpie Council of Australia. (WKC) and our dogs have the highest registration status.

Over the last 25 years or more, Noonbarra Kelpies have become one of the best known and most successful Kelpie Studs in Australia, despite us only breeding small numbers compared to many of the large Kelpie Studs. We have always preferred to stay a small Stud and keep everything hands-on just by our family to ensure we get the quality we want.

Over many years of breeding these wonderful dogs, our Noonbarra Kelpies have been very successful in nearly every field of endeavour, including, Yard Dog Trials, Obedience competition, commercial mustering wild goats, TV & film work, Droving work, Frisbee competitions, Therapy dogs, Agility competition, Arena three sheep dog Trials, Rescue dogs, Cattlework, Flyball, Utility Sheepdog Trials and more....

We have sold our Australian Working Kelpies all over Australia including Tasmania, Western Australia and Northern Territory as well as around the World to countries that include Sweden, United States of America, New Zealand, Belgium, Norway, Croatia, Japan, Canada, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

Our family has been associated with breeding and training Australian Kelpies for around 90 years. We are 3rd generation breeders & trainers. We still breed on the best of the old Kelpie bloodlines and all our dogs go strongly back to the renowned Kalari Kelpies and are direct descendents of the great Kelpies of the 1800's such as Quinn's Coil, Tully's Moss and Gleeson's Kelpie.

The Noonbarra Kelpies are renowned for being extremely versatile and have proved themselves to be exceptional dogs with Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Alpacas and other livestock on farms and Stations from as little as 2 or 3 acres to more than 1,000,000 (million) acres!

Our Kelpies have also increasingly been sold as wonderful companions to families in cities and suburbs where they have excelled as faithful, loving ... and often a little spoiled, pets.

Customer Comments

"She is a wonderful dog. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am with her. You guys did a great job of picking the perfect dog for me. - Noonbarra Ruthless U.S.A.

"Her ability to work, to be in the right place at the right time has happened so often it is uncanny. To me she is the 'one in a lifetime' great bitch/dog that one owns." - Noonbarra Bonnie

"Indy is a gem. Best dog I've ever seen. He picks things up so easily it astounds me and challenges me to try and teach him more complex tricks and commands ... Things are still going absolutely fantastic. -
Noonbarra Indy II

"A dog owner couldn't ask for a friendlier little soul to share their life with - she is a credit to you and the dogs that you are breeding. Thank you for giving us such a wonderful friend. " [Noonbarra Frankie]

"Tina (III) was one of the few great females I've ever owned. I used her around the shearing sheds and a lot of shearing contractors wanted to buy her.".

"If someone offered me a million dollars for her she wouldn't be for sale, I love her very much and I'm pretty sure the way she looks at me that the feeling is mutual." - Noonbarra Tally, Victoria Australia.

More Customer comments & reports

We have bred dozens of Kelpies who have been Sheepdog Trial winners in Arena (paddock - 3 sheep), Utility, Farm and Yard Dog Sheepdog Trials including the National Australian Open Champion, multi-western Champions and the NSW State Open Champion.

We have bred and trained thousands of dogs, as well as teaching others through our training school and private lessons. We have also been involved in TV and film work with our Kelpies and given numerous exhibitions around Australia. (see section). We have written books, magazine and newspaper articles on the Kelpie breed as well as producing a series of Videos & DVD's. We have served as directors of the Working Kelpie Council of Australia and the International Working Kelpie Club.

Our Noonbarra Kelpies are so highly thought of that they are often purchased as foundation stock for dozens of other Kelpie Stud breeders who need top bloodlines. We are quite proud of that support from other breeders. Our Kelpies are the old style dogs. Most are small - medium types with an athletic look and a good turn of speed when it is needed.

All our Noonbarra Kelpies have been bred very strongly back on a direct line to the great station and trial working Kelpie bloodlines of Kalari. Kelpies from these lines include the famous Liscannor Pace, Rockybar Buff, Chondo Doll, Liscannor Kay, Le Cliff Jock and Kalari Joker. But the main influence for Noonbarra has always been the great Kalari Basil born in 1959. We have more of his blood in our dogs today than any other Stud in the country and we are very proud of this achievement. His work, temperament, calmness, versatility and incredible thinking ability has always been the benchmark we have bred towards at the Noonbarra Stud.

Over the years we have continued to develop our own special line of Kelpies that are often a bit different to current trend of the heavier boned and bigger 'Yard Trial' lines of Kelpies. We are purposely still endeavouring to breed more towards the old style of Kelpie which has a lot of holding ability, distance and break out and allows the stock to settle. These are medium and smaller sized Kelpies that show eye and style and are calmer dogs on stock. They are also intelligent, loyal dogs. We are very proud to say that our Noonbarra Kelpies have maintained many natural inherited traits that are becoming extremely difficult to find in some of the newer bloodlines today.

We prefer to have Kelpies with a kind and loving personality, who are good with children and show a high degree of intelligence, good agility, inherited natural stock skill, obedience and know how to have fun. We think this is what is needed if you want the highest degree of stock work from your Kelpie and a great companion.

Our Noonbarra Kelpies are bred to be loyal and friendly and that is why so many stockmen buy them as their work mate. It is also likely to be one of the main factors in our growing sales to families who want a genuine Working Kelpie as their choice for a companion dog!

Stephen & Mary (2002) with top sire: Noonbarra Dusty III and a big puppy: Noonbarra Jack V.
Photo by Laurelle Kinsman of Merrynvale Kelpie Stud