The wool industry is concerned there won’t be enough shearers this springtime as travel restrictions limit New Zealand workers.

But even before the pandemic Australia was facing a major shortage in shearers. And it shouldn’t surprise, considering the trade is known for being ‘the toughest job in the world’.

In 2011, documentary maker Mike Williams travelled to Hay, NSW to discover why extreme fitness is only a fraction of what makes shearing so challenging.

Nine years later he returns to the same team to find the job hasn’t got any easier.

First broadcast on ABC RN’s Earshot in August, 2020.