Light steers made more than 500 cents a kilogram at Leongatha on Thursday as well-bred heifers fetched close to 400c/kg.
The sale attracted one of the largest galleries of onlookers in recent months as agents yarded just shy of 4000 cattle, including from fire-affected East Gippsland.
Heavy steers also jumped in price as agents estimated the increase to be as much as $200 a head on the previous fortnight.
Don and Kay Belcher, Wonga Park, Woodside, were shocked when their second pen of Hereford steers, 263kg, made $1390 or 528/ckg, bought by a purchaser from Shepparton.
The Ridge Pastoral, Rosedale, sold the dearest two pens of heifers.
The first pen of 29 heifers, 304kg, made $1200 or 394c/kg followed by the second pen of 26, 264kg, which made $1040 or 393c/kg.
Steers generally sold above 400c/kg for most of the sale, rarely dipping below 390c/kg across all lines of cattle.
Demand for breeding stock took a notable rise as heifers made between 340-370c/kg on average.
Landmark Leongatha livestock manager Brian McCormack estimated the sale was 40c/kg dearer on steers compared to the previous fortnightly sale.
"For the industry, for the farmers, it's the sort of money they need to get to make a living," he said.
"All other costs go up all the time; your rates, your drenches, your fertilisers - everything else is getting dearer and livestock has been a bit behind the eight ball - but now this is maybe the new norm."
DJ and KM Kuch, Darriman, topped the sale in price per head with 20 heavy steers, 502kg, selling for $2010 or 400c/kg.
"A fortnight ago the Kuchs had a run of 120 steers here and one of their bottom end pens was 502 kilos and it made 350c/kg and the same cattle today made just on 400c/kg," Mr McCormack said.
"It shows that the sale was 40 cents dearer on last fortnight and that's what's happening because day-by-day the market is getting dearer and dearer."
An annual feature draft of about 1000 Yarram and district weaner cattle, sold by Phelan & Henderson & Co, attracted plenty of attention.
Company principal David Phelan said he had not seen the market rise in price as quickly in his 40 years in the industry.
"The steers have sold very well and Damian Moore's cattle from Yarram which weighed 404 kilos made $1820 which is 450c/kg which is quite remarkable and that was for calves with weight in them," he said.
"We haven't seen that sort of money and I was also pleased to see the same people return to buy these cattle because that speaks for the breeding and quality."
Fire-affected cattle from Wulgulmerang in East Gippsland, owned by Leo Dignan, Maffra, sold well, fetching $1630 or 397c/kg for a pen of 18 Hereford steers which weighed 410kg.
Mr Dignan said the cattle had narrowly avoided being burnt by bushfire twice in two months.
Elm Valley, Tarwin, sold a pen of 13 steers, 497kg, for $1790 or 400c/kg.
M and K Breen, Buffalo, sold 15 steers, 390kg, for $1610 or 412c/kg.
D and M Jones, Mirboo, sold 17 steers, 350kg, for $1530 or 437c/kg.
N and B Wynne, Newry, sold 12 steers, 273kg, for $1150 or 421c/kg.
SEJ Livestock auctioneer James Kyle said a mixture of restockers and feedlotters helped bolster prices.
"There was a massive crowd and they all sold very well and a lot of them were bought by bullock fatteners so a lot of them are staying here," he said.
"You may as well have put four behind everything because not much sold below 400c/kg today."
C Farr, Stony Creek, sold 11 steers, 358kg, for $1460 or 407c/kg.
P and N and D and M Moore, Yarram, sold a pen of 25 steers, 404kg, for $1820 or 450c/kg.
G and L Simmons, Woodside, sold 19 steers, 296kg, for $1390 or 469c/kg.
DM Phelan, Billy Creek Station, sold 22 steers, 291kg, for $1400 or 481c/kg.
JCM Farms sold 10 heifers, 276kg, for $1060 or 384c/kg.