A kelpie hailing from Dubbo in New South Wales has taken out the top price at the Australian Premier Working Dog Auction.
Kimmy, a 33-month-old black-and-tan kelpie, was bought for $27,000 at the auction in Casterton, Victoria, as part of the Australian Kelpie Muster on the weekend.
Her owner Kahlee O'Leary said she was overwhelmed to get that price.
"I got a bit emotional, and hard to hold back the tears," she said.
"Very happy that she's gone to a good home."
Ms O'Leary said she was a great companion.
"She's got a big personality, that's for sure.
"She definitely gives her all when she's working. You cannot ask for much more than that."
New home in Tasmania
A young brother-sister duo bought Kimmy from Tasmania.
This was Ashley and Lachlan Meaburn's first working dog purchase; they run merinos and rams on their property near Oatlands.
"It was pretty exciting, and I'm just glad we got her," Ashley said.
"I really liked her practicality.
"For what I wanted, something just ready to go, really practical, easy, and she's a very lovable and friendly dog when you're not working sheep."
Not a record
Casterton Kelpie Association vice-president Rob Pilmore said Kimmy was one of 49 dogs up for auction.
"We've actually got a really wide range of dogs this year of age and skill," he said
"Probably one of the best varieties across a whole section of skills and age groups."
There were dogs from New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania up for sale.
While $27,000 is a substantial amount for a working dog, the national record sale is $35,200.
A kelpie from Victoria named Hoover fetched that price at last year's auction.
The average price for dogs at the auction was $3,400, including puppies, and the total turnover of the 26th Australian Premier Working Dog Auction was more than $400,000.
Home of the kelpie
Over the weekend, 10,000 people came through Island Park in Casterton for the festival over the weekend.
Casterton Kelpie Association president Karen Stephens said it was a record crowd.
"It proved to us that everybody wants to get out after two years of being cooped up after COVID," she said.
This is the 26th year of the event, and it makes a big difference to the western Victorian town.
The event includes working dog demonstrations, the kelpie dash, kelpie high jump, a kelpie hill climb and a kelpie triathlon.
"We want people to come to Casterton throughout the year. It drives our economy here," Ms Stephens said.
"We know that people have Casterton on their bucket list now as a place to visit is just really exciting for us."
