Bendigo Woollen Mills is Australia's favourite manufacturer of hand-knitting yarn for over 40 years.
Proudly based in historic Bendigo, Central Victoria, we focus on luxurious natural fibres from Australian farmers, with a mix of seasonal and year-round yarns in a rainbow of colours and styles.
Our Beginnings
Bendigo Woollen Mills was started by two local families in Kangaroo Flat and moved to its current location in 1988. The historic buildings occupied by the Bendigo Woollen Mills were built in 1901 by the Bendigo Electric Supply Company and were part of the Bendigo power generating and tramways complex.
In 1988 Bendigo Woollen Mills purchased the powerhouse buildings from the SECV. The tramways buildings remain the property of the Bendigo Tramways who still operate tourist trams from the adjacent site, running several times a day.
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Our Manufacturing Story
Bendigo Woollen Mills is the largest manufacturer of hand knitting yarn in Australia. Our yarns are made on-site by our dedicated local team.
Specialised machines allow us to spin, blend, dye, and ball our range of yarns from fibre to ball.
Our machinery is working 24 hours a day, 5 days a week to keep up with customer demand.
Our Team
Bendigo Woollen Mills employs a local team of more than 90 people across our Bendigo and Wangaratta sites. Our factory staff, who manufacture our yarn, consist of 2 shift groups working across 24 hours, 5 days a week.
Our factory shop, warehouse, customer service, admin, accounts/HR and creative teams are also on site, all working together to get our yarns to the public.
Our Yarn
We use only the most luxurious natural fibres available. Our method of hank dyeing results in a softer, fuller end product. The wool produced is from Australian grown wool, usually from the NSW Highlands region. We also produce yarns with other fibres including Alpaca, Mohair, Silk, Milk Fibre, Bamboo and Cotton. Specialty yarns to complement our main ranges are sometimes sourced internationally.
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Our Patterns
We have our own Bendigo Woollen Mills range of professionally designed and tested women's, men's, kid and baby knitting and crochet patterns in a wide range of sizes. These are all developed here in Australia.
We also run an Independent Designers Program, showcasing Australian knit and crochet designers and marketing their patterns. These Independent Designer knit and crochet design patterns are available for purchase at our website.
Our Shop
Our Factory Shop in Bendigo is open 6 days a week for most of the year, selling our yarns, patterns and accessories direct to the public. Find our Trading Hours below on our Customer Service Menu.
This store is a tourist destination for crafters who visit from around Australia to explore our range of yarns, along with samples, seconds, and more.
Manufacturing Australia's favourite yarns for over 40 years in the heart of Bendigo.