The top price was a hefty $42,000 for a Charinga ram, a son of Pearler 19 that will head to Western Australia, bought by the Navanvale Merino Stud at Williams, in the southern Wheatbelt.

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For Banavie, the top price was $19,000 for a Poll Merino, destined for Trundle, NSW and bought by Darriwell Merinos.

The Charinga stud sold 89 rams at 100 per cent clearance rates, averaging $4132, Banavie sold 80 of 80, averaging $3187 while the smaller Gowandale stud sold 11 of 11, averaging $3204.

Charinga’s White Suffolk stud also enjoyed a successful day, with 100pc clearance on 48 rams, averaging $1053 with a top of $1400.

Stud principal at Charinga Roger Polkinghorne said it was a successful sale in spite of the poor season across the country.

“The strength of the entire wool industry was reflected in the results, but you could see the hand brake was on to an extent as people worried about the season, it was a really good result, but it could have been better with more people enjoying an average season,” he said.

Tim Polkinghorne, co-owner of Banavie, said it was a vote of confidence for the future of the sector.

“It is very dry at present, but people realise these rams will be siring lambs that hit the ground next year when things hopefully have turned around in terms of the weather.”

A notable feature of the sale was the geographic spread.

“Along with the ram to Williams we also sold a couple of stud rams to Lake Grace in WA, while there were buyers from South Australia’s Mid North and Eyre Peninsula , Queensland and NSW as well,” Roger said.

In South Australia, stud buyers included North Ashrose at Gulnare, the Snuggery at Kingston and Mallee Hill on the EP.

Queensland buyers Jolly Jumbuck took rams back to Mitchell, west of Roma, buying one for $8000 while the Capree Stud at Bathurst, $9000, and the Shippens family in the Riverina, $13,000, were NSW buyers of high value stud rams.

In terms of volume buyers Roger Polkinghorne said Andrew Calvert, Wool Solutions, bought 13 rams for Tasmanian clients.

Mr Calvert said the rams were destined for homes in the Midlands and northern Midlands regions of Tasmania.

The Wight family of Yarram in Gippsland were also volume buyers snapping up 12 rams while the Carmichael and Ficken family of Kerang also bought five rams.

Roger said there had been a strong focus on wool quality and quantity in the breeding, looking to breed sheep with wool that retains crimp and whiteness as well as coping with adverse weather conditions while still cutting heavily.

He said the large, meaty frame of the sheep was also an attraction for many buyers.

Tim agreed. “People were really chasing production, it was great to see the support from both the stud and the commercial guys.”