Most of them were taken out by the 1980's financial crysis and never opened their doors again.
Some say, the boats just became too un-affordable and better lasting than initially thought, opening up a viable second hand market. After all, may of us still catching winds in our 1970s built boats.
And the government doesn't seem to be really supporting the sailboat industry either, whereas without that support the French and German boat builders would be most probably in the same shoes as us.
Or is it Australia's remotness that is a factor? What do you think of the future of the trade in Oz? Certainly we can build great boats without a doubt