For five decades Benambra couple John and Nola Ross had watched on as their annual draft of weaner calves were sold at market.
But due to COVID-19 restrictions they were not permitted to enter the saleyard at Leongatha on Thursday.
It meant they would miss their first sale in 56 years.
That was until their agent had a "thought bubble" to live stream the auction from South Gippsland to the kitchen of the Ross' Omeo Station homestead.
The sale came less than four months after they lost 200 hectares to bushfire at two blocks, Moronies and Woop Woop, 15 kilometres north-east of Omeo.
"Attending these calf sales is a part of our genetic make-up, so to miss our first in 56 years through no fault of our own was quite emotional after the few months we've had," Mr Ross said.
He married Nola, the daughter of Claud and Janet Pendergast in 1964, the same year they took over the running of Omeo Station.
Since then, Mr Ross said the property had doubled in size with the capacity to carry 600 breeders and 50-odd bulls at any given time.
But following three years of drought and the devastating January bushfires, work has been ongoing to repair damaged fence lines ahead of a predicted cold winter.
Cattle were also sent away on agistment about the time of the fires including 115 calves to Mirboo North and about 50 cows over Mount Hotham to Benalla.
"All that country got burnt out badly in 2003 and we re-fenced it then with concrete and steel posts and as a result of that we are in the throws of replacing maybe four-and-a-bit kilometres of wire," Mr Ross said.
"So we are really lucky on that front and it's changed our ideas of fencing because we now fence with the mindset we will probably have to replace it one day due to a fire."
Up until three years ago, the couple, who trade under CJ Pendergast, sold their draft at the annual Omeo and Benambra calf sales.
But with an ambition to try something new after 50 years, they decided to follow the unwritten folklore to "send their cattle to where the grass is".
This year marked the third year they had sent cattle to be sold at Leongatha.
"The cost from here to there works out at about $23 a head so once they're on the truck, it doesn't cost them much to send them a bit further," Mr Ross said.
Last Thursday, they sold 280 mixed sex eight-to-10-month-old Angus and Black Baldy calves.
The top pen of 21 steers, 394kg, sold for $1610 or 408c/kg while the top pen of 13 heifers, 377kg, sold for $1320 or 350c/kg.
On an average basis, the 162 steers weighed 309kg and made $1363 or 441c/kg.
Their draft of 118 heifers weighed 285kg and averaged $1158 or 406c/kg.
Their operation consists of 40 Angus bulls, mainly from Ireland Angus bloodlines, while Hereford genetics are sourced through friend Rick Hodge at Valley Vista.
Due to the dry season and recent fires, the Rosses expect about 500 calves - down from 600 - in June/July.
Mr Ross said he had about 40 cattle at Mirboo North on agistment which would be sold through the South Gippsland saleyard in the coming months.
"Watching the live stream was different but it kept us right up to what was happening ... and we were very grateful Elders organised that for us," he said.
"We've had probably half-a-dozen phone calls since then from people who bought our cattle who have been very happy with the way they arrived home and that's always pleasing."
But with winter fast approaching, Mr Ross fears the cold weather could add to the trying climate in Victoria's High Country.
It comes as the Bureau of Meteorology this week forecast snow could fall above 1000 metres.
"We've made provisions for a tough winter; we've purchased a lot of hay with the view that we may have to feed for probably four months," Mr Ross said.
He expects to feed out 800 round bales in that time.
"Last year we had a very dry winter and the cattle struggled and this year it could be quite the opposite."
He said the support the Benambra district had received since the fires was "overwhelming".
It comes after the area received more than a dozen B-double loads of hay days after the fires swept through.
"Benambra is a great place to live; we raised our children here, we've made friends here and it's probably as close to heaven as I'll get," Mr Ross said.
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