---
node: garment_moleskin
type: garment
slug: moleskin
title: "Moleskin trousers"
lead: "Moleskin trousers are the tough cotton work trousers of the Australian bush, cut from a dense, soft-napped cloth that wears like iron. From the goldfields and sheep stations to the modern country wardrobe, they are a staple of the man on the land."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: moleskin.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StateLibQld_2_160128_Horsebreaking_at_Tinnenburra_Station,_1941.jpg"
image_author: "State Library of Queensland"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## Overview

Moleskin is a heavy cotton fabric woven and brushed to a soft, suede-like face over a strong, close weave, made up into hard-wearing trousers. Warm, wind-resistant, and nearly indestructible, they suit riding, fencing, and the rough work of the paddock.

## How it is worn

They are worn like ordinary trousers, held by a belt and often tucked into boots, in fawn, cream, or tan that hides the dust of the bush. Softening and moulding to the wearer over years of work, a good pair only improves with age and washing.

## History

Moleskin cloth clothed diggers on the nineteenth-century goldfields and bushmen and stockmen across the colonies, valued for standing up to hard country. It remains the classic trouser of the Australian rural wardrobe, worn from the station to the country race meeting.