Light weaner steers topped the market at Bairnsdale on Friday, fetching more than $5 a kilogram, as demand for breeding stock continued to rise.
Unweighed steers understood to have weighed about 200kg made more than $1000 a head, equating to 500 cents a kilogram plus as demand for female cattle increased steadily.
Agents penned about 1000 cattle for the fortnightly store sale, including about 700 steers and 300 females.
Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones estimated female cattle rose by $100-150 on the previous fortnightly sale.
"The quality wasn't quite the same as our last store sale but we had plenty of cattle with a bit of condition and I'd suggest prices were similar, but smaller cattle were a fraction dearer on our last sale," Mr Jones said.
TD and MD Trewin sold a pen of 20 Charolais heifers, 341kg, which made $1260 or 369c/kg while J Murray sold 17 heifers, 297kg, for $1130 or 380c/kg.
Melrose Herefords, Cann River, sold 14 heifers, 407kg, for $1340 or 329c/kg while Gullaview Pty Ltd sold a pen of 10 heifers, 325kg, for $1130 or 347c/kg.
Meanwhile, weighed steers sold to strong demand including a top pen of Deddick Springs cattle, 249kg, which made $1170 or 469c/kg.
"People bought in dollars per head and they were happy to give $900-$1000 ... but people weren't really worrying about the cents per kilo," Mr Jones said.
"It was pleasing to see female demand grow given the amount of females that have been killed in the last 18 months so hopefully they will stay in the system and be retained for breeding."
Elders Bairnsdale livestock manager Morgan Davies said vendors were rewarded for their efforts, coinciding with "frequent and ongoing rain, good grass and positivity".
"We had some good runs of cattle including Dick Droppert who had Simmental-cross steers making $1700 and they were 475 kilos and then we had some Tablelands cattle that made $3.90-$4," Mr Davies said.
"We also had some really light black steers off Snow Rural which were really well-bred and that made $1080-$1100."
Feedlot-weight steers made 365-380c/kg on average while light steers ranged from 450-500c/kg plus.
"East Gippsland has been affected by fires and while the whole area didn't get burnt, the whole area was shut down and we couldn't get cattle out," Mr Davies said.
"And then we had rain-affected cattle that were pulled out of the sale because they couldn't get here so in some way or another everyone has been impacted by the shutdown of the region."
Sharp Fullgrabe & Co director Graeme Fullgrabe said he was pleased farmers like Graeme Connley, Cann River - who lost 50 per cent of his farm during recent bushfires - rewarded after a difficult three months.
"I can't talk because I've got that much of a grin on my face but it was a wonderful result with good cattle and it was good to see the right people rewarded for hanging on, getting through fires and drought," Mr Fullgrabe said.
"We had the right heifers here that were big enough to put a bull with in June for and autumn calf so they met terrific competition."
J Murray, Jindabyne, sold 19 steers, 334kg, for $1330 or 398c/kg.
Melrose Herefords sold 12 steers, 324kg, for $1380 or 425c/kg.
George Wilford sold seven steers, 420kg, for $1490 or 354c/kg.
KWD Jenkins sold 13 steers, 422kg, for $1480 or 350c/kg.
D and C Droppert sold 12 steers, 425kg, for $1590 or 374c/kg.
Tablelands Pastoral sold 14 steers, 334kg, for $1320 or 395c/kg.
N Hamer sold five Angus steers, 482kg, for $1560 or 323c/kg.
T and DP Guarnaccia sold six heifers, 380kg, for $1220 or 321c/kg.
Peterson and Smith sold 4x4 cows and calves for $1580.
H Vandabourne sold 6x6 cows and calves for $1840.