The 13th Pedigree Working Dog Australian Kelpie Muster - incorporating the Casterton Kelpie Festival on Saturday, June 6 and the Casterton Working Dog Auction on Sunday, June 7 - attracts upwards of 8000 people annually.

With new events and attractions, plus record competition entries to date, this year’s event is shaping up to be one of the best yet.
A great line-up of Kelpie-themed events and races are held during Saturday’s Festival, including a Kelpie Triathlon, which features a high jump, sprint race and hill climb.
This year visitors will witness an interstate clash in the high jump arena with the introduction of the Elite Working Dog High Jump competition – an invitation only event pitting the very best of Victorian Kelpies against the “Paws Up” Border Collies from Armidale in northern New South Wales.
Saturday’s Festival kicks off at 8.30am with a poets breakfast, followed by the Kelpie Country Street Parade from 10.30am, where thousands of visitors jostle for best position to view the imaginative floats created by local schools, kindergartens and charity organisations.
A big range of novelty events with categories including fattest dog, the egg and spoon Kelpie race, plus the ‘Australian Kelpie Idol’ guarantee fun and laughter for all.
A crowd favourite, the Kelpie High Jump at 12.30pm will incorporate the inaugural Elite Working Dog High Jump where six dogs will attempt to break the record 2.91 metres set in 2007.
The high jump is the first event in the Kelpie Triathlon and the remaining two events, the Kelpie Sprint over 50m, and the Kelpie Hill Climb – a 300 metre dash to the top of Toorak Hill overlooking the township of Casterton – start at 2pm and 2.30pm respectively.
The Festival also features the popular and entertaining Stockman’s Challenge, which features two events showcasing the skills of a stockman, a horse and a dog completing set tasks against the clock.
Last year’s winner, Josie Jackson from Willalooka in South Australia was the first woman to win the title riding Hippy with Anna at her side and will be returning to defend her title.
Organisers are expecting a close competition in the challenge with three former winners returning to compete for the Powercor Stockman’s Challenge trophy.
Another new attraction guaranteed to entertain this year is the flyball demonstration by the Bellarine Dog Activities Group from Geelong.
Flyball is hurdle racing for dogs and attracts all breeds, shapes and sizes in a fast-paced and fun competition where dogs complete a short course comprising four flyball jumps set 10 feet apart, trigger a box and catch an ejected ball before racing back to the start.
The fun and entertainment continues into Saturday evening with the staging of a Kelpie Ball in the Casterton Town Hall from 8pm. Hosted by the Casterton Polocrosse Club, tickets are $25 and guests can dance the night away with friends to the music of the Naracoorte band, Juicy X. Tickets are available on 0419 861 323.
Australia’s premier working dog auction kicks into gear early on Sunday, June 7 at Island Park in Casterton with a full catalogue of 75 dogs registered for sale. Yard and paddock demonstrations will commence at 9.30am.
The auction gets underway at 3pm with another top quality offering promised this year, with four breeders of previous top-priced dogs returning to the sale ring.
Pedigree Working Dog Auction committee chairman, Andrew Harrison said this year’s event has attracted several first-time vendors representing new bloodlines, which demonstrates the significance of the auction.
“The event is now well recognised as the place to purchase quality and affordable working dogs representing some of the best bloodlines in the country,” he said.
“We have another full catalogue with dogs from across Victoria and New South Wales, plus seven dogs from three different breeders in Tasmania.”
Prior to the auction, the lucky winner of a five-month-old Kelpie pup offered in a promotion by the Casterton Kelpie Association and Rural Press - publishers of Stock & Land – will be announced.
The black and tan pup, Appy, comes from top progeny at the GoGetta Kelpie Stud, which has produced previous top-price auction dogs, plus the 2005 Australian Yard Dog Champion.
The Island Park sale venue will also be home to a Trade Pavilion featuring a dozen businesses offering a vast array of items for sale including clothing, dog accessories, photographs, local produce, plants and much more.
A Working Dog Training School on Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9 is the final event on the 2009 Kelpie Muster calendar.
Well known Kelpie trainer and breeder, Joe Spicer, GoGetta Kelpies at Glenthompson in Victoria’s south-west will inspire and motivate participants with a combination of theory, paddock and yard exercises.
With a Kelpie training career spanning 17 years, Mr Spicer has plenty of experience to call on plus a swag of titles to his name. He won the Australian Yard Dog Championship in 2005 with GoGetta Agro, has been the Victorian Yard Dog/Cattle Dog champion five times and has a host of cattle, yard and utility trial titles.
Places in the training school are limited, so interested people are encouraged to register immediately with Rodney James on (03) 5579 1374.