Koonwarra Saleyards hosted the sale of 2,650 head of cattle from one of Victoria's most badly bushfire-ravaged areas on 16 January, with the 39th annual Yea Blue Ribbon Weaner Sale held outside its traditional region for the first time ever. Some 35 loads of cattle were diverted 200 kilometres south to Koonwarra after fires limited access to Murrindindi Saleyards on 9 January.
Morgan Davies, Elders regional manager and auctioneer, said the decision to pivot to Koonwarra was made due to the size of the facility and the number of cattle involved, with South Gippsland's excellent season also playing a factor.
"It was a great result, significantly dearer than what they had anticipated," Mr Davies said. "Prices were on a par with sales in Yea prior to the fire."
The buying gallery was packed, with most of the cattle expected to stay in Gippsland. Lots of pink shirts dotted the crowd as Elders facilitated donations, sourcing fees and agistment for affected farmers.
"Elders prides itself on its ability to support farmers through drought, fire and flood," Mr Davies said. "We have a great relationship with BlazeAid and give them lots of stuff at cost price to help get farmers back on their feet."
Bec Bleicher, from Elders, said that it was a massive effort to change venues and thanked the Koonwarra team for their support. “It ran really smoothly,” she noted.
Most weaners came from Kilmore, Euroa and Yea north of Melbourne, with some from farms almost completely wiped out by the Longwood fires.
Another of the sale organisers, Andrew Hill, told the Sentinel-Times that several vendors with cattle in the sale had lost practically everything in last week's bushfires.
"You don't get the full impact of it until you drive out of Yea and just see what damage has been done by such a hot fire, generating an enormous amount of heat from that shocking wind," he said.
He described devastating scenes of dead and burnt sheep caught against destroyed fence lines, dead cows in dams, and black fire damage everywhere with hardly a structure left standing.
Two hay trucks were organised by Elders on the day, with the Davies family sending additional loads. Vendors cooperated remarkably despite the time pressure and paying transport and yard fees themselves.
The sale took place just as Koonwarra saleyards changed ownership, with VLE selling to EVLX at the start of January.
Anyone who can offer agistment for sheep or has hay to donate can contact Elders Yea on (03) 5797 4100 or Andrew Hill on 0419 322 286.
