A Tattykeel Australian White ram sold for a record-breaking $165,000 at the stud's on-property auction at Oberon, NSW, making it the highest price ever paid for a meat breed sheep.
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All up, the sale grossed $5.628 million.
The record-priced ram was purchased online through AuctionsPlus by David and Natalia Ellingsen, Flaxley Australian White stud, Flaxley, SA.
As the bidding opened, the $50,000 reserve was quickly surpassed, hitting six figures in a flash and at the knock-down price of $165,000 is thought to be a new meat sheep all-breeds record price.
Mr Ellingsen said in a statement he believes welcoming the world's most expensive Australian White sheep to Flaxley will make the breed a household name.
"We see our Australian White sheep as a great way to be involved in the infancy of livestock breeding,'' Ellingsen said.
Although the short-term focus for the Ellingsens is on breeding, rather than selling directly to restaurants and butchers, eating quality has influenced breed's popularity, he said.
"Natural marbling of intramuscular fat and low melting points make the breed a far more marketable meat globally," Mr Ellingsen said.
"The Adelaide Hills region is a brilliant environment for raising sheep and a fantastic location for supporting and supplying other South Australian and Australian farmers.
"At Flaxley we want to take advantage of the best genetics available for the growth of our flock and the bloodline."
The ram, Tattykeel ET 200131 (Tw), was an April 2020-drop that weighed 119 kilograms.
Bidding remained strong througout the sale, with lot 179 selling for $120,000 to Lake Midgeon, Narrandera, and lots 171 and 182 both making $90,000.
It comes off the back of the stud's success last year when a new ram record top price of $53,000 was set in what was labelled the sale of the century.
All up, 103 of the scanned-in-lamb ewes that were offered were sold sold to a $24,000 top and average of $9311, 55 of the 55 unjoined ewes sold to an $11,000 top and average of $7018, and in an auction that resulted in stud rams making more than some of the best Angus bulls in the state this season, 30 of the 30 stud rams offered were sold to average $39,533, and all 210 flock rams were sold to a top of $26,000 to average $14,760.
The $24,000 ewe, Tattykeel Rose Gold ET 200132, was also a full sibling to the $165,000 ram.
This result adds to a run of recent big-price ram sales, including Valma Poll Dorsets' breed record set just over a week ago at the stud's on-property sale at Whitemore, Tasmania, of $41,000, but the national record for any ram remains at $450,000, set in 1989 by a Collinsville Merino special stud ram.
In another recent, strong sale, Armdale Park Poll Dorsets, Marrar, had flock rams reach $5000, four times, at its on-property sale, held last week.
Today's Tattykeel sale was handled by QPL Temora.
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