Two Australian farming families have again produced the world's finest wool - fibre so delicate it is almost invisible to the naked eye.

The 93kg bale has been bought by Italian luxury fashion house Loro Piana for more than $232,000.



The southern NSW farmers, the Wilsons and the Walkers, equalled their own world record of 11.8 microns they recorded last year.

A micron is one thousandth of a millimetre.

Their sheep, bred from a 150-year-old merino bloodline, are kept in a shed where they are played music all day and fed a special diet of premium grains and hay.

Loro Piana hailed the families' work in producing the finest wool for five out of the last six years.

"The achievement is truly exceptional insofar as the average fineness of an Australian bale is generally 20 to 21 microns, and only five per cent go below 17 microns," the company said.

The clothing maker will use the bale for suits which sell for up to $15,000.

Barry and Gavin Walker, whose farm is near Yass, and Garry and Kay Wilson, from Tumbarumba, began the Highlander partnership that produces the wool six years ago.

Barry Walker said keeping the sheep happy was the key.

"We treat them like potential Melbourne Cup winners. They're very well looked after," he said.

The price paid by Loro Piana shows there is still demand for top-end Australian wool in tough times for the industry.

On top of severe drought and vigorous animal rights campaigns, producers have suffered some of their worst-ever returns, with wool prices hitting a six year low in November.

In its last forecast, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics said demand for the fibre would continue to fall, with prices averaging less than $7 a kg in 2005-06 - down another 10 per cent on previous year.

Loro Piana's winning bid for this year's finest bale was $2,500 a kg.

The company set up the competition for the world's best wool in 2000, with the contest including only Australian and New Zealand producers.

Adrian Stewart