HOMES Australian Country 109›married Jo, a psychologist who also grew
up in the Wheatbelt at Shackleton.
“I pretty much dragged Jo back to the
bush,” he recalls. “We built a limestone
cottage and lived there for a few years
when the children were little. Then we
moved to Yarranabee and extended the
homestead, which was originally built
in the 1930s. Both Jo and I love a project
and we’re never happier than when
we’re facing a challenge together. We
like building and unlike most people, we
thrive on renovations.”
As the children progressed through
school, the couple made the decision to
base themselves in Perth. These days
they divide their time between the city
and the bush, with Ashley spending
three or four days a week in Perth and
the remaining time on the farm. Jo
remains actively involved in the business,
but is also pursuing studies in positive
psychology for school children so her
time on farm is less frequent.
While sheep, in particular Merinos for
wool, were the backbone of the Wiese
family enterprise in the pioneering days,
these days Yarranabee is an object lesson
in diversity. “In the 1960s and ’70s my
parents started growing oats to feed the
sheep,” Ashley explains. “These days, we
still have sheep, a blend of Merino, Finn
[Finnish Landrace] and East Friesian, but
in the past 20 years we’ve moved into
the lamb market without disturbing the