Eliza Forlonge

Peter Corlett's statue of Eliza Forlong with a Merino sheep in Valentine Park, Campbell Town. Eliza Forlong (1784–1859) was an Australian pioneer who played a large part in introducing Merino sheep to south-east Australia.

She was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 21 October 1784. She was the daughter of Alexander Jack who was a teacher, and his wife Jean, née Mackinnon. or Furlong ), a Glasgow wine merchant. and Andrew (b. 1814). John Forlonge decided to move the family to the warmer climate of Australia.

Aware that fine wool from Merino sheep in Saxony, Germany was bringing the highest prices, the Forlonges went to Leipzig to study methods of sheep rearing and wool preparation. Their expertise was enhanced by the use of an instrument to measure wool. Eliza was also an accomplished golfer in Scotland and her skills were widely known amongst the golfing fraternity.

The farm they established was called "Winton" at Kirklands , also near Campbell Town. They built sheep houses in the Saxon style, wells, a farmhouse and outbuildings. (Coordinates: -36.843703, 145.624385) on Forlonge Memorial Road, Euroa, Victoria. It is a slab of granite in the shape of a wool pack. The Farmers' Arms Hotel Museum at Euroa includes rooms in an old building at Seven Creeks called "Eliza Forlonge Cottage". Eliza was one of the chief characters in a semi-historical novel "Saxon Sheep" by Nancy Adams, a great-granddaughter of Janet Templeton. A commemorative mural by Tom Thompson is mounted at Sydney Institute of TAFE, Ultimo, New South Wales.