Strong demand from across Gippsland, South Australia and northern NSW drove prices higher at Hinnomunjie.
Breeders experienced never-before-seen prices at the Sharp Fullgrabe sale as the yarding of nearly 1000 averaged $1117 a head across all breeds.
This year's sale saw the complete yarding of steers, all breeds, average $1279 and heifers $1094.
Sharp Fullgrabe auctioneer Mick O'Callaghan said the selling action at Hinnomunjie was a "complete 360 degrees" from 2019 when extracting bids "was tough".
Mr O'Callaghan said last year there was only one or two people on a pen and the calves had lost their bloom.
He said while vendors still had a few nerves this year the calves came into the sale on Tuesday with bloom and a bit of extra weight.
"It's a credit to [the breeders] after getting a hiding last year," he said.
Mr O'Callaghan said it was great that vendors went back-to-back to get the calves right and got rewarded.
He said there were few calves that didn't make $1000 and it was only a few late pens of four to five month-old calves that dropped back to around $700.
He said some calves weighing under 200 kilograms live still made $800 to $900.
There were six to eight people on nearly every pen, he said.
"It's a fantastic result for people around here, it will give them a real boost," he said.
Sharp Fullgrabe principal Graeme Fullgrabe said it was a "hell of a crowd" and started on "very, very good cattle".
"You won't see much better red cattle over these two days as those," Mr Fullgrabe said.
He said traditional buyers of the cattle were back from South Gippsland, with strong competition from feedlotters and orders destined for NSW in the form of Gunnedah, Coonamble and Tamworth.
A significant South Australian order for the Ogilvie Group also took a large sweep of suitable cattle.
The sale top was achieved for the first pen of the day, a line of 15 Hereford steers by Donald Betts, Benambra, weighed un-curfewed at 490kg, that made $1710.
A second line by the same vendor sold for $1650 and the thirds made $1490.
The same vendor sold a pen of five Hereford/Shorthorn-cross heifers that sold for $1430 to top the heifer portion of the sale.
A second line of heifers, same description, sold for $1390.
PJ & SM Soutter forwarded a draft of Hereford steers with the lead pen of 19 making $1500.
A neat run of Hereford/Shorthorn-cross mixed-sex calves by Guy and Sandra Crisp, Omeo, sold, with their top pen of 21 steers making $1480.
The same lot was crowned Herefords Australia's champion Hereford pen.
They also sold heifers for $1330 for 21.
Louis and Sharon Pendergast, Benambra, sold 150 mixed-sex Black Baldy and Hereford calves, 10-11 months.
Their top steer pen sold for $1410, while the heifer portion topped at $1030.
Fifth generation Benambra farmer Brian Dyer sold 72 Hereford calves with the tops making $1490 for a pen of 19.
The heifer portion sold to $1040 for 16.
KW & JA Pendergast sold a line of Hereford steers for $1470 and a second line at $1410.
A draft of cattle from Ron Johnston, Black Camp Creek, Omeo, sold to $1450 for a pen of 20 - $500 above the 2019 tops - and a further 18 made $1380.
The heifer portion topped at $1005.
Jock and Barbara Sievers, Benambra, sold a large run of Charolais calves including eight steers for $1260 and a second pen making $1190.
The heifers topped at $1150 with a second pen making $1110.
DF Olsson consigned a draft of Angus mixed-sex calves with 11 making $1320 and another 11 making $1250.
The heifer portion comprised a pen of 14 that made $1060 and a further 15 at $1030.
AL Fitzgerald had pens of heifers with 13 selling for $1100, 15 at $1000 and 11 at $980.
GM & LL Troake sold steers to eight Hereford steers at $1290 and 11 heifers to $1110.
