Several pens of small calves headlined Sale's monthly store market at the Gippsland Regional Livestock Exchange on Thursday.
Agents yarded about 500 cattle in a market agents described as mixed in quality and prices.
Small weaner calves sold to a top of 582 cents a kilogram, while heavy crossbred cattle sold above $2000 a head.
Local restocking demand about the Sale area was bolstered by recent rainfall, while competition from a handful of South Gippsland buyers and a feedlot operator helped underpin the sale, agents said.
One South Gippsland agency bought about 50 steers during the hour-long auction.
Nutrien Greenwood director Ben Greenwood said the smaller yardings would likely be a common occurrence at Sale as winter draws closer.
"We had small numbers and cattle are starting to get hard to find on the store job with the season," Mr Greenwood said.
"We had a good start to autumn and vendors are electing to lockdown for the winter and see what the spring brings.
"There were a fair few pens that weren't weaned and probably would normally be held until the spring but the money at the moment is flushing those sorts of cattle out."
R & M McInnes sold a pen of 15 steer calves, 332kg, for $1720 or 515c/kg.
PT & SM Cantwell sold 18 steers, 300kg, for $1680 or 560c/kg and six steers, 243kg, for $1340 or 557c/kg.
D Semmens sold 12 steers, 306kg, for $1590 or 519c/kg and eight steers, 270kg, for $1590 or 588c/kg.
Oakbank Pastoral Co sold eight steers, 318kg, for $1600 or 503c/kg and 13 steers, 266kg, for $1550 or 582c/kg.
Mawley Mills sold 14 steers, 253kg, for $1450 or 573c/kg.
Alex Scott & Staff Sale director Aaron Ralph said he was pleased with the competition for young cattle.
"It was a mixed yarding but we had some good runs of weaners that sold well, some crossbreds and heavier crossbreads probably sold easier, but overall the market was up and buoyant," Mr Ralph said.
"We had some good crossbred steers make over $2000 at 580 kilograms and then we had some young Angus weaner calves offered by the Johnson family which sold to $1650."
G Norris sold three steers, 543kg, for $2060 or 379c/kg.
TJ Kelock sold nine steers, 431kg, for $1800 or 417c/kg.
B & A Ross sold 10 steers, 409kg, for $1890 or 462c/kg and 11 steers, 330kg, for $1660 or 503c/kg.
Mr Ralph said the recent rain, including showers that were falling during the market, were adding confidence to buyers' winter outlook.
"A bit of rain has helped the situation around the Sale district," Mr Ralph said.
"We were looking for rain a week ago and now we've got it so that should help us through until winter."
In the heifers, Chris Aurisch, Sale, sold five heifers, 414kg, for $1830 or 442c/kg.
J Cantwell sold 16 heifers, 300kg, for $1440 or 480c/kg.
PT & SM Cantwell sold nine heifers, 276kg, for $1340 or 485c/kg.
In the cows and calves section, B & A Howard sold five cows with calves at foot for $2225.
N Peck sold three cows with calves at foot for $2500 and M Doorman sold five cows with calves for $2620.