Victoria's iconic Australian Kelpie Muster and working dog auction is set to be held in spring after organisers postponed the event usually held on the long weekend in June.
The 24th annual muster held at Casteron in the state's far west will be held on October 24 and 25 after organisers cancelled the June event due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Casteron Kelpie Association president Karen Stephens said the committee made the decision due to the uncertainty of whether mass gatherings like the muster would be allowed to go ahead.
"Like many regional festivals and events, we have made the decision to reschedule ... in the hope that the event will run in its full capacity when the community recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic," Mrs Stephens said.
"Our committee is hopeful that this three-month buffer will provide enough extension for the impacts of the pandemic to subside, however, we will continue to consult with the state government and take the latest advice of the chief medical officer."
Organisers have vowed to return to the event to the June long weekend in 2021 when the event will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Mrs Stephens said the planning of the spring festival for October would take into consideration the potential closer of the nearby South Australian border.
"We are working through a number of mock scenarios at the moment to ensure our festival can continue in some capacity in 2020 and provide the important economic and social benefits it brings to the Casterton community and the broader Glenelg Shire," she said.
The working dog auction is expected to surpass $3 million in revenue accumulated in October since the event started in 1997.
In 2018, the event broke a world record when one of the working dogs fetched more than $22,000
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