Remember when: How soggy '07 Big Country bounced back
Any event held in North Queensland in February plays a dicey game with the weather.
The Big Country Brahman Sale has not been immune to such gambles. But in 2007, the highly regarded sale showed its strength of reputation was enough to overcome even the soggiest of outlooks.
Originally slated to take place on Monday and Tuesday, February 5 and 6, a total of 302 bulls (98 red, 204 grey), 62 stud heifers, 15 semen packages and one embryo lot were ready to sell.
And then it got wet. Really wet.
Charters Towers had 115mm for January creating a damp lead-in to the sale, but it was the surrounding areas and restricted access for both vendors and buyers that created the real headache.
A weather system rolled in the week before the sale, dumping inches across the north including more than 500mm in the Mackay-Proserpine region, 400mm at Ayr, 450mm at Dalbeg, while Townsville recorded about 250mm in one night.
In January, Longreach had 187mm, Winton 213mm, Cloncurry 265mm, Julia Creek 148mm, Richmond 190mm and Hughenden 112mm.
The brave decision was made to postpone the sale by a fortnight, the first time it had ever been pushed back.
Fears the date bump might deter buyers were quickly dispelled as the first day notched up 90 per cent clearance rate.
Noel and Dallas Daley, Caiwarra Brahmans, Julia Creek, bought Eddie and Debbie Streeter's Fairy Springs Epic 2766 for $40,000.
The Daleys also added lot 20, Somerview Humphrey 1184, to their bull portfolio from Brian and Glenda Kirkwood, Somerview Red Brahmans, Charters Towers, for $32,000.
A Pioneer Park offering of a three-in-one package consisting of the full Hudgins heifer Pioneer Park Margate Manso 342 and a recipient PTIC cow with a Margate Manso 342 embryo, set by Mr V8 The Rock 846/5 sold for $40,000.
The grey lots took to the centre ring and rain delay concern vanished as the Nobbs Cattle Company repeated its record-breaking sale of a six-figure Brahman bull from the previous year with grey sire NCC Lox Rex 369 selling for $100,000.
The 908kg, 28-month-old Full African Import fell to Peter Dowling, Dowling Livestock Ray White Rural, Cloncurry, who was acting for purchasers, the Tipperary group of stations and Saneta Cattle Company.
The entire sale boasted a 97pc clearance with gross receipts totalling $2,326,500.
Sixty-two lots made $10,000 or more.
Auctioneer and agent Ken McCaffrey, Rockhampton, said at the time that people were "walking through the muddy lanes with smiles on their faces".
