Future of Camperdown Saleyards site unclear as council votes to decommission 50-year-old facility

For more than half a century, farmers, agents and transporters convened at the Camperdown Saleyards, a facility once considered a hub for “trade, social connection and employment”.

Now, the future of the livestock centre’s land sits in limbo as Corangamite Shire Council formulates a masterplan for ongoing use of the site.

What happened: During last Tuesday’s council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to decommission the former Camperdown Saleyards and adjoining truck wash, paving the way for sheds, yards, ramps, lighting, and fencing to be dismantled and sold.

The background: The decision marks a closing chapter to the facility’s story after the saleyards ceased operations in June 2024, when the Regional Livestock Exchange exited the lease due to the facility no longer meeting the minimum required number of livestock sold each month.

• Following this, council opened the site to expressions of interest for long-term use, but did not receive a “viable proposal”.

What's next: Council has allocated $30,000 in its draft 2026-27 budget to develop a Camperdown Saleyards Masterplan.

• The document will determine the most sustainable long-term use of the site and include consultation with businesses and the broader community before council decides whether the land should be redeveloped, sold or repurposed.

Long history: Councillor Laurie Hickey moved the recommendation with “a heavy heart”.

• “I was only a young fellow when the new saleyards were opened up back in the early 70s, and what an exciting time that was for the rural community,” he said.

• “In that time it had become a hub of trade and social connection, and certainly one of employment for many people, myself being one back in the early days.”

Times are changing: Despite successive upgrades, Hickey said changing industry trends had made the facility increasingly difficult to sustain.

• “Producers had been favouring to go to other facilities and sell online, which has meant that the operation of those yards has become somewhat unsustainable and unfinancial,” he said.

• “So it is very sad that for something that was such a hub of the community has declined to where it is at the moment.”

Councillor Nick Cole said the closure reflected a broader shift across regional Victoria, where many smaller saleyards had disappeared over recent decades.

• “There were saleyards at Darlington, Lismore, Timboon, I remember going to,” he said. “All these little regional yards now have gone, and it's all being centralised to one big operator.”

What about the truck wash? The decommissioning also includes the site's inoperable truck wash, which councillors said remained an important piece of biosecurity infrastructure for the region.

• Questioning chief executive David Rae, Councillor Hickey raised concerns about the inadequacy of truck wash facilities across the shire and their role in reducing the spread of livestock diseases.

Rae said a review commissioned by council had been completed and submitted to the state government.

• “What I can say is the review does recognise the inadequacy of truck wash facilities not just in Corangamite shire but more broadly across rural and regional Victoria,” he told the meeting.

• “I'm optimistic that there will be funding streams available for both the private sector to leverage and to establish regional facilities.”