A major livestock selling centre in central Victoria is set to get a roof over the pens where sheep and lambs wait before they are sold. The shelter is meant to shield animals from heat, rain and wind.
The local council has chosen a builder after a tender process. Cover over the holding areas is the part of the upgrade the yard's agents have pressed for hardest.
Image: Aerial view of Bendigo, Victoria, by Christophe95 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. This photograph shows Bendigo from the air and does not show the Bendigo Livestock Exchange or its new shelter.
What the saleyard does
The Bendigo Livestock Exchange is a saleyard, a purpose-built site where farmers, agents and buyers bring sheep and lambs to be sold by auction. It sits at Huntly, north of the city centre, and handles about one million sheep and lambs a year. Livestock sales there generate around $190 million annually.
Saleyards run to a fixed calendar. Stock arrives in the days before a sale and is checked in and penned by lot. On sale day the animals move through the selling ring, where agents bid on behalf of the buyers they represent. The exchange is one of Victoria's four major regional saleyards, and it is the only one of the four without cover over its holding areas.
A holding area is the pen where animals are kept between arriving at the yard and going under the hammer. Sheep and lambs spend most of their time on site in those pens, waiting through the hours either side of the sale.
Why cover over the pens matters
The new structure will put a roof over the holding areas, and soft flooring will go in under the cover. Soft flooring is a cushioned surface laid under the pens rather than bare concrete, which is easier on hooves and legs during a long wait.
The design is meant to protect animals from extreme weather across the year, lift animal welfare standards and help the yard adapt to a changing climate in central Victoria.
For sheep, summer heat is the sharper risk. Animals in full fleece shed heat poorly, and a long day in an open pen leaves them with little shade. Winter brings the opposite problem, when rain and wind turn pens wet and cold, and stock lose condition before they are sold.
The council says a shelter of this size also opens the door to options such as harvesting water on site and generating solar power later. Cover will improve safety and comfort for the people who use the yard, including staff, agents, contractors and visitors.
The council has argued for funding support for the shelter for several years. It cites animal welfare standards and the need for the facility to handle changing climatic conditions in central Victoria, and it says the yard's users benefit as much as the animals.
The Bendigo Agents Association, which represents agents selling at the exchange, said the cover over the holding areas is the most important part of the upgrade. It said year-round protection from summer heat and winter rain would lift welfare for both animals and workers at the site, and it expects the project to restore the yard's standing as a leading sheep-selling facility.
Who is building it and how it is funded
Greater Bendigo councillors approved the appointment of MKM Building Group Pty Ltd to lead the project, following a competitive tender process. A tender is the stage where a project goes out to bidders and the council weighs the offers before awarding the work.
The project is budgeted at $3.4 million. The Victorian Government is contributing $1.7 million and the City of Greater Bendigo is covering the other $1.7 million. The council has advocated for shelter funding for several years, citing animal welfare and the yard's ability to handle central Victorian weather.
Work is earmarked to start on site before Christmas and to finish in mid-2027. The shelter is a first stage of the upgrade, and the yard will keep selling stock while the build runs around the sale calendar.
Why the yard matters beyond the farm gate
Sheep and lamb sales at the yard feed a chain that runs from farms across central Victoria to processors and, eventually, to consumers. The council describes the facility as a vital part of Victoria's livestock industry and food supply chain, helping secure a reliable supply of sheep and lamb products while supporting regional businesses and employment.
Agents sell on behalf of the farmers who consign stock, and buyers bid for the lots they want. Sale days therefore set a market for the district, and a covered yard lowers the risk that extreme weather disrupts a sale or harms stock before it is sold.
The upgrade also affects the people who work there. Staff, agents, contractors and visitors spend long days at the pens during sale season, and a roof over the holding areas gives them shade in summer and shelter in winter.
What it means for the region
The exchange contributes around $26.5 million in annual economic output and supports 86 jobs, directly and indirectly. The council estimates it adds about $13.7 million to the region's gross regional product, the value of goods and services produced in an area.
The yard forms part of Victoria's livestock industry and food supply chain. It helps keep sheep and lamb products moving to consumers while supporting regional businesses and employment, and it gives farmers across the district a regular market for their stock.
For farmers and buyers around Bendigo, the shelter answers a request the trade has made for years. Sale days at the yard run through the year, and cover over the pens is expected to keep them working through the worst of the weather.
For more on the area, start with the Victoria local guide.
Works Cited
City of Greater Bendigo. "Work to start on Bendigo Livestock Exchange shelter this year." City of Greater Bendigo, 22 Sept. 2026, https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/work-start-bendigo-livestock-exchange-shelter-year.
Dalton, Tyrone. "Central Victoria local news briefing, Wednesday, September 23, 2026." ABC News, 23 Sept. 2026, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-23/central-victoria-local-news-briefing/107184012.