A record-breaking consignment of 4,000 Killarney-bred Brahman feeders has sold for approximately $6.6 million, setting a new benchmark for the largest single lot sold through AuctionsPlus.
MacLachlan Pastoral Group offered the cattle in last Friday's Weaner and Yearling Sale, with the 4,000-head consignment selling for 474.3c/kg liveweight, or $1,653.56 a head.
The result more than triples the platform's previous single-lot record of 1,200 head.
For MacLachlan Pastoral Group, the sale marked a change in approach. Killarney feeders usually change hands by private treaty or via an expression of interest process. This year, the vendor worked with Elders to take the cattle to open online auction for the first time, opening the consignment to buyers across Australia and providing full price discovery through the competitive auction process.
The lot was born and bred on Killarney and run on floodplain country at Woolner Station, near Darwin. The herd is built on Lancefield, Palmal, Eulogie, Elrose and Yoman bloodlines.
- 70% steers, 30% spayed heifers
- 18 to 30 months
- Estimated 348.6kg average at delivery, ranging from 288kg to 434kg
Elders livestock manager Paul McCormick, a Level 2 AuctionsPlus Accredited Assessor, described them as "absolutely A grade live export feeders" with "enough breeding, frame and scope to thrive in Australian grazing or feedlot systems."
Bidding opened just one bid under the 460c/kg reserve, a clear sign buyers were ready to do business. Ten of the 11 bids landed above reserve, taking the final price 14.3c/kg past it.
The online format enabled buyers from across Australia to compete for the cattle, despite the distances involved. The cattle were near Darwin, while Paul followed the sale from the Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen's Association conference in Karratha, WA. The winning bid came from Queensland, demonstrating the reach online selling can provide for both vendors and buyers.
The cattle will be delivered to Noonamah between 1 and 15 December.
The sale also attracted significant interest before a single bid was placed.
Measure | Result |
Catalogue views | 35,233 |
Unique user views | 5,967 |
Lot views | 3,434 |
Watchlisted | 124 |
The lot was also upgraded to an AuctionsPlus Featured Lot, putting it in front of more buyers in the lead-up to sale day. Getting a lot this size online took more than a standard listing, with Paul acknowledging the significant work involved behind the scenes.
"Fair to say it was a non-standard listing that required an enormous amount of work in the background to get it up," Paul said.
"What I want to highlight is the can-do attitude [the AuctionsPlus team] brought to this process. Right from the start it was all about the 'how can we' instead of roadblocks."
The record result demonstrates the opportunity online selling can provide for vendors, combining broad buyer reach with transparent price discovery. For buyers, the detailed, independently assessed listing provided the information needed to bid with confidence, even without seeing the cattle in person.