| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| CREDIT CORP SERVICES PTY LIMITED vs STUART CLYDE RYAN | AOE | 11:00 am |
| INTEGRITY CAR CARE PTY. LTD. (ACN 056 621 893) vs TESSA FOSTIN | Courtroom 1 | 10:00 am |
Last updated: 09 Sep 2026, 10:10 am. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
The Sale Magistrates' Court sits at 79 to 87 Foster Street, Sale VIC 3850, and serves as the principal Magistrates' Court for the Wellington Shire, the third largest municipality in Victoria by land area at 10,924 square kilometres. Located roughly 212 kilometres east of Melbourne along the Princes Highway, this Gippsland courthouse handles the everyday legal matters of Sale and the surrounding communities of Maffra, Heyfield, Rosedale, Longford and Stratford. With a Wellington Shire population of 45,639 recorded at the 2021 Census and Sale itself home to 14,296 residents across 6,758 dwellings, the Foster Street registry is the busiest access point to justice for central Gippsland. Postal correspondence should be directed to PO Box 351, Sale VIC 3850, and the registry can be reached on 03 4113 7800 or by email at salecoordinator@courts.vic.gov.au.
If you have received a summons, a charge sheet, an intervention order application, or a civil complaint listed at Sale, this page explains how the court works, what jurisdiction it exercises, when it sits, and how to prepare. The daily law list changes constantly, so treat the details below as a practical guide rather than a substitute for the official record. Names on published lists are partially masked for privacy, listings can be reallocated at short notice, and you should always confirm your hearing time and courtroom with the registry before you travel.
Where the Sale Magistrates' Court fits in Victoria's court hierarchy
Victoria operates a three tier court system. The Magistrates' Court is the entry point and the highest volume jurisdiction, dealing with roughly 90 per cent of all criminal matters that come before the state's courts. Above it sits the County Court of Victoria, the intermediate trial court, and above that the Supreme Court of Victoria, which holds unlimited jurisdiction and hears the most serious offences such as murder and treason. Sale is unusual because all three tiers touch the Foster Street precinct in different ways across the year, which makes it a genuinely multijurisdictional Gippsland venue rather than a single purpose courthouse.
The Magistrates' Court of Victoria is a large institution. Across the state it operates from more than 51 court venues, and the Sentencing Advisory Council recorded 85,462 cases sentenced in the Magistrates' Court in 2023 to 2024, down 8.9 per cent from 93,778 the previous year. Over the two decades from July 2004 to June 2024 the court sentenced an average of 83,587 cases each year, peaking at 99,723 in 2015 to 2016. Court locations are grouped into 13 regions, each built around a headquarter court, and Sale falls within the Gippsland grouping alongside the Latrobe Valley venue at Morwell.
Criminal jurisdiction at Sale
The criminal jurisdiction of the Magistrates' Court hears and determines all summary offences, deals with some indictable offences that can be resolved summarily, and conducts committal hearings for the more serious charges that must ultimately be heard in a higher court. In plain terms, the majority of criminal matters in Australia begin and end in a court like Sale.
Typical criminal matters listed at Sale Magistrates' Court include:
- Traffic offences such as drink driving, drug driving, driving while disqualified, and careless or dangerous driving
- Assault, affray, and other offences against the person that can be dealt with summarily
- Theft, shop theft, criminal damage, and property offences
- Drug possession and use charges
- Breaches of bail, community correction orders, and intervention orders
- Committal proceedings, where a magistrate decides whether there is enough evidence to send an indictable charge to the County or Supreme Court
When a matter is too serious to be finalised summarily, the magistrate manages the early stages and then commits it upward. For Gippsland, that usually means the County Court circuit at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell, roughly 54 kilometres west of Sale, where visiting judges hear indictable trials, pleas and appeals.
Civil jurisdiction and monetary limits
The Magistrates' Court can hear civil disputes up to the value of $100,000. This covers claims arising from debts, damages, other monetary disputes, and applications for equitable relief. Common civil matters at Sale involve unpaid invoices, consumer disputes, property damage claims, and small business debt recovery. Complaints are filed for a monetary value up to that $100,000 ceiling, and anything above it generally proceeds to the County Court, which in practice hears civil disputes between $100,001 and $1,000,000, or to the Supreme Court for the largest and most complex claims.
The court aims to finalise 80 per cent of civil cases within six months or less, a target it reports against to the State Government under Budget Paper No. 3 requirements. If you are pursuing or defending a civil claim at Sale, filing your documents correctly and within the required timeframes is critical, because defences filed outside the specified periods can be treated differently and default judgment can follow when no defence is lodged.
Intervention orders
The Sale Magistrates' Court hears applications for two types of intervention order: family violence intervention orders and personal safety intervention orders. These protect people from violence, threats, harassment, stalking and property damage. Family violence matters make up a substantial and growing share of the Magistrates' Court workload across Victoria, and regional courts including Sale provide safe waiting arrangements and support referrals for affected family members attending hearings. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
Sitting days, opening hours and the Registrar
Sale Law Courts is attended by a Registrar each day except public holidays, and you can contact the court by phone or email even on non sitting days. The building itself opens to the public for physical attendance on listed sitting days. Published registry hours are Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 4.30pm and Wednesday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. Because Sale is a regional venue, criminal and civil lists are generally scheduled on particular sitting days rather than every weekday, so checking the current list before attending is essential.
Registering with the Electronic Filing Appearance System, known as EFAS, at the Magistrates' Court of Victoria website enables automatic email or SMS notifications for your Sale listings and any hearing date changes. This is a free service for criminal and civil matters and is one of the simplest ways to avoid missing a date. For a broader view of how listings are structured across the state, our Victorian Magistrates' Court list hub explains the daily list format used at every sitting venue.
Higher court circuits at Sale and Morwell
Beyond its Magistrates' Court work, the Foster Street courthouse is also a significant Supreme Court of Victoria regional circuit venue. The Supreme Court's Common Law Division has been scheduled to sit at Sale for multi week blocks, meaning high value civil and serious indictable criminal matters can be heard locally by visiting Supreme Court judges rather than requiring every Gippsland party to travel to Melbourne.
The County Court of Victoria, established in 1852 and authorised under the County Court Act 1958, lists Sale as one of its 12 regional circuit locations alongside Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Horsham, Mildura, Morwell, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool and Wodonga. For much of Gippsland's serious criminal and larger civil work, the County Court circuit runs through the Latrobe Valley Law Courts at 134 Commercial Road, Morwell, a co located contemporary justice precinct that opened in 2006 and consolidated Magistrates', County and other court functions on one site. According to the County Court's 2024 to 2025 reporting, criminal trial initiations rose 13 per cent year on year and the court finalised 71 per cent of all criminal cases within 12 months. If your matter is heading to that circuit, the Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court list is the companion venue to watch.
Federal family law circuit
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia also runs a Morwell circuit that is periodically held at the Sale Magistrates' Court building at 79 to 87 Foster Street. This is a circuit location only, which means documents cannot be filed at Sale. All matters to be heard on the Morwell circuit must be filed through the Commonwealth Courts Portal or at the Melbourne Registry. Hearings can be observed by any member of the public, subject to the presiding judge or registrar's discretion.
Getting to the court, parking and access
Sale is the administrative capital of the Wellington Shire and the largest inland city in Gippsland, sitting within the Gippsland South state electorate and the federal division of Gippsland. Street parking is available on Raymond Street, Desailly Street and Foster Street, which is the Princes Highway, although some restrictions apply in Foster Street, so allow extra time. Sale is well connected by regional coach and rail services, and buses stop close to the courthouse on Foster Street. The Wellington Shire Council offices sit nearby at 18 Desailly Street. Visitors travelling from outside the region can reach Sale by V/Line services before completing the short trip to the court precinct on foot or by local transport.
How to prepare for your hearing at Sale
Preparation shapes what outcomes are realistically available to you, particularly in criminal matters where early legal advice can materially affect a result. A few practical steps make attendance smoother:
- Confirm the date, time and courtroom on the current daily list before you leave home, as listings can move
- Bring your summons, charge sheet, notice to attend or any court correspondence, together with photo identification
- Arrive early to clear security and locate your courtroom on the list displayed at the venue
- Bring any documents or evidence relevant to your matter, and copies where possible
- Dress neatly and plan to wait, since regional lists group many matters on the same sitting day
- Seek legal advice ahead of time if you are unsure of your options, especially for a plea or a contested hearing
If your matter connects to other parts of Gippsland or eastern Victoria, the nearby Bairnsdale Magistrates' Court list covers the East Gippsland region roughly 65 kilometres to the east. For matters across the state more broadly, the Victoria court lists hub brings together every sitting venue in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Sale Magistrates' Court located?
The court is at 79 to 87 Foster Street, Sale VIC 3850, with postal mail directed to PO Box 351, Sale VIC 3850. It sits on the Princes Highway in central Sale, within the Wellington Shire in the Gippsland region, roughly 212 kilometres east of Melbourne.
What are the court's contact details and hours?
You can reach the registry on 03 4113 7800 or by email at salecoordinator@courts.vic.gov.au. Published registry hours are Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 4.30pm and Wednesday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. A Registrar attends every day except public holidays, and the building opens to the public on listed sitting days.
What types of cases are heard at Sale Magistrates' Court?
The court hears summary criminal offences, traffic matters, some indictable offences, committal hearings, civil disputes up to $100,000, and family violence and personal safety intervention order applications. More serious indictable matters are committed to the County Court circuit at Morwell or to the Supreme Court.
How do I check the Sale Magistrates' Court list?
The daily law list shows every matter scheduled before the court on a given sitting day. You can review the current list online and register with EFAS at the Magistrates' Court of Victoria website for free email or SMS notifications of your listings and any date changes. Always verify your hearing details with the registry, as listings can change without notice.
Can the public attend hearings at Sale?
Most hearings are open to the public, whether they are Magistrates' Court, Supreme Court circuit, or Federal Circuit and Family Court matters held at the venue. Access is subject to the presiding magistrate, judge or registrar's discretion, and some sensitive matters such as certain family violence or children's proceedings may be closed.
Is my matter filed at Sale for the family law circuit?
No. The Morwell circuit of the Federal Circuit and Family Court that is sometimes held at the Sale courthouse is a hearing location only. Documents must be filed through the Commonwealth Courts Portal or at the Melbourne Registry, not at Sale.
