The ‘llama’ idea began to take hold in Darlington in the early 90s. Our family had just bought 5 acres in the Perth Hills and, having just sold our vineyard in the south-west, we were pining for a new interest. We bought two Australian born females from some other Hills locals who had just begun a breeding program, and imported two Chilean llamas from Victoria, one of these was a pregnant female - her offspring, Isobel went on to become head of the herd until her death early this year aged 19 years.

We raised llamas successfully in the Hills for many years, after fencing off an area of approximately 3 cleared acres. The animals thrived in the rough terrain and coped with the hot summer conditions after annual shearing. In 2004, we moved our herd to 20 acres of mixed pasture and shady woodland in the south-west of WA, and Margaret River Llamas was born!