"PLACE of the cold" is the indigenous translation of Mount Monmot, which is one of the reasons several mobs of Perendales graze paddocks at the foot of the ancient volcano near Skipton.
Perendale sheep, which were originally bred in New Zealand in the 1940s, are touted for their ability to weather freezing temperatures while remaining productive.
Mount Monmot is also the name given by Malcolm Fletcher and daughter Trudy Boyer to their five-year-old Perendale stud.
"Perendales were big in the '60s, and personally I think they're making a comeback," Mr Fletcher said.
"They've got a great constitution, are a totally self-replacing flock, have superb mothering ability and productivity."
Mr Fletcher was first exposed to the breed 25 years ago when he managed a farm which ran Perendales.
"I took a liking to these sheep and that was how I got interested in breeding my own Perendales," Mr Fletcher said.
"With that I joined the Perendale Association of New Zealand and selected Newhaven as a progressive, well performing stud to make contact with."
Malcolm and Trudy, along with Trudy's husband Tony, now have a joint venture with Newhaven, where they share genetics and collaborate on genetic benchmarking programs.
Mount Monmot was founded on 38 Newhaven ewes scanned in twin lamb to rams from three different families within the New Zealand stud.
Now roaming the paddocks are 84 mixed age stud ewes plus 40 maidens, 40 young rams and a handful of stud rams.
In five years the stud has expanded its numbers and established a list of clients spanning from Cape Otway to Holbrook, NSW.
Last year, all 40 flock rams for sale were snapped up, with buyers left wanting more, Mr Fletcher said.
But swimming against the tide isn't always easy, especially when breeding sheep out of the mainstream varieties in Australia.
"It's definitely been tough, but it's also been a really rewarding five years," Ms Boyer said.
"People are looking to improve their flock and see the genetic gains that Perendales have had."
Aside from comparing their progress to other long wool breeds in the show ring, the Skipton producers are taking a scientific approach.
The progress of Mount Monmot and Newhaven studs is being benchmarked at Lincoln University in NZ.
"We're doing genetic testing to do with meat colour, pH and shelf longevity," Ms Boyer said.
"We have a geneticist from Lincoln University who assists with the breeding program, watching each of the joinings and their progeny.
"They're also CT-scanning sheep over there and we're getting all the genetic gain through our bloodlines we're using here."
While cold tolerance is paramount for sheep in NZ, where a dusting of snow over paddocks is common throughout winter, the Western District breeders are focusing more on eye muscling, wool and sturdy feet to suit the different pastoral regions of Australia.
"It's about identifying stock that have reduced risk of getting footrot. They've got to have black features – black feet, black nose and white wool," Mr Fletcher said.
The Mount Monmot stud sheep receive a visual foot score and have a blood sample taken from their ear, which is sent to Lincoln University for DNA testing.
Sires which progress in the stud must receive a good visual foot score and strong correlation with the DNA markers for sound.
"It's just another aspect of selecting for stud sheep," Ms Boyer said.
Perendales have increased their presence in the NZ sheep industry in recent years, due to commercial demand for easy-care flocks, according to the NZ Perendale Sheep Society.
They are reportedly less fussy when grazing than many other long wool breeds, and are becoming increasingly resistant to worms.
Newhaven stud boasts not having to drench a sheep after its first birthday for the past 20 years.
In the past four years, they haven't drenched lambs at all.
Mount Monmot have also adopted the 'nil drench regime', and Mr Fletcher said they have never had to drench adult sheep.
"Anther good aspect of Perendale sheep is there's no mulesing – they've got a bare breach," he said.