Clunie Range Angus average $19,606 for 183 bulls.

Queensland won the State of Origin in rugby league this year. The flow of bulls over the border reinforced the football analogy, with 110 of the 183 sold heading north to begin their work in herds of repeat buyers in areas of Queensland including Alpha, Taroom, Springsure, Julia Creek, McKinlay, Goomeri, Charleville Hughenden and Richmond. It is a vast spread of cattle country and differing types of countryside.

The buyer of the top-priced bull was Glen McKinlay, Callandoon Angus, Springsure, a return buyer who will use Clunie Range Scorpion S441 in his Arcadia Valley stud that was established in 2005 using Dulverton Angus, Glen Innes, bloodlines.

The first bull in the catalogue, Scorpion, was calved on August 28, 2021, and on sale day, weighed 1016 kilograms. Sired by Clunie Range Quaid Axam Q57, the deep, well-muscled bull had a Breedplan eye muscle area (EMA) of +11 which was 131 square centimetres. It had a +55 EBV for 200-day growth, +99 for 400-day, and +130 for 600-day growth. Its Angus Breeding Index ($A) was $192, and Angus Breeding Low Feed Cost Index ($A-L) was $310. Callandoon also paid $21,000 for Clunie Range Staunch, a two-year-old bull weighing 804kg sired by Murdeduke Quarterback Q011.

Clunie Range Screw Driver S320 was the second top-priced bull, bought by RS and AE Innes, Marcella, Goomeri, Qld for $457,500. Weighing 984kg at just under two-year-old, it was sired by Musgrave 316 Stunner with an EMA EBV of +8.2. Its birth weight(BW) EBV was +5.1, with a +65 EBV for 200-day growth, +106 for 400-day, and +134 for 600-day growth. Screw Driver's $A was $220, and its $A-L index was $368.

The Innes family also bought Clunie Range Sensational S311, sired by Musgrave 316 Exclusive, for $28,000.

Wilano Angus, Birriwa South, Birriwa, paid $45,000 for the October 1 drop Clunie Range Sleek S1961, a 962kg son of Rennylea Prospect P550.

M and J Smith, Woodenbong, paid $40,000 for Clunie Range Surcharge S425, a 915kg son of Musgrave 316 Exclusive. Surcharge had an EMA EBV of +5.3, with a 200-day growth EBV of +52, +96 for 400-day growth and +124 for 600-day growth.

Windermere Pastoral Company, Yo Yo Park, Clara Creek, Qld paid $40,000 for Clunie Range Shaneo S324, a 1034kg, two-year-old son of Esslemont Lotto L3. It had an $A-L index of $420 and a $A index of $208. Its BW EBV was +4. Windermere also paid $28,000 for Clunie Range Sophisticated, a 976kg son of Clunie Range Highlight H411.

Repeat volume buyers were the foundation of the sale. Mr Guest said the take-home message for him was the number of cattlemen buying for their successful commercial herds.

"Every stud has a different clientele. We have a clientele of really good cattlemen that come to us for the Clunie Range type. Deep, thick, wide and soft bulls.

"Honestly, if you took a photo of the crowd, it's mostly a who's who of the cattle industry with people from the big corporates and real quality breeding operations that are highly credentialed themselves," he said.

Hartley Grazing, Coopermurra Mitchell, Qld bought 12 bulls to $22,000 twice, averaging $16,916, while Pasadena GRazing Trust, Wallumbilla, Qld, bought eight bulls to $22,000, averaging $17,750.

Drummondslope Cattle Company's Andy and Angela Mulcahy, and their family from Alpha, Qld, were back at ringside this year paying $26,000 for Clunie Range Spicy S1922, sired by Clunie Range Highlight H411, with an average of $20,300 for the ten bulls they bought. Last year they bought 10 bulls averaging $26,200 with a top of $30,000.

TVF Pastoral, Minnie Downs, Blackall, Qld bought 10 bulls to $16,000, averaging $14,600, with a top price of $16,000.

TVF Pastoral's Josh Millerick said Minnie Downs runs about 2000 breeders and has been using Clunie Range bulls to phase out the Santa Gertrudis sires used in past years. Mr Millerick said the Clunie Range bulls had been vital in lifting and holding the fertility rate in the herd to a consistent 96 per cent.

He said the progeny from the Clunie Range sires provided great saleability at a premium price. The key aim is to turn off feeder cattle in the 480kg weight range. Last year TVF Pastoral bought 17 bulls for Minnie Downs and a TVF Pastoral property in the Tambo district.

Eric Slack-Smith made the trip from Richmond in Far North Qld to buy six bulls for a top of $32,000, averaging $19,833, while Carruthers Pastoral Co, Wendouree Station, Alpha bought four bulls to $22,000 twice, averaging $20,500.

Kevin Graham from Kevin Graham Consulting, Brisbane, acted for the Westcott family, Chesterfield Hughenden, who bought three bulls to $25,000, averaging $22,333, while Bundulla Pty Ltd, Taroom, bought three bulls to $22,000, averaging $19,333.

AJM PAstoral, Richmond, paid $28,000 for the lead of three bulls averaging $24,000.

Lynwood Pastoral Company, Cobbadah Station, Cobbadah, paid $32,000 for Clunie Range Superb S1930, a 1018kg, two-year-old son of Clunie Range Highlight H411. They also bought Clunie Range Skipper S1903 for $22,000.

Locals Myall Farming Co, Warialda, bought seven bulls to $28,000, averaging $22,142. Myall Farming's top-priced selection was Clunie Range Southern Bell S155, sired by Clunie Range Southern Spirit Q338.

J and S Crago, Bellata, bought six bulls to $18,000 three times for an average of $16,333, while AL and ED Uebergang Partnership, Blue Knobby, North Star bought two bulls for $22,000 and $16,000.

The selling agents were Elders and JA McGregor Livestock & Property, Warialda. Mike Smith, Elders, Toowoomba and Mark Scholes, Elders Rockhampton, were the auctioneers. Elite Livestock Auctions provided the online platform.