In the lead-up to the public holiday, butchers around the region are busily preparing in a bid to meet (or should that be meat) demand.

Lamb is the choice of the day when it comes to Australia Day celebrations thanks to the highly publicised Sam Kekovich campaigns.

And at a local level, butchers are also expecting to see an increase in lamb sales during this period.

Geoff Williams of Willhome Farm Fresh Meats said lamb was always a top seller in the lead-up to Australia Day.

"The emphasis on Australia Day is having something good and quick to prepare for the barbecue and lamb fits that bill," Mr Williams said.

"We expect to be quite busy this week."

These sentiments were echoed by Greg Sait of Sait's Family Butcher.

He said while there was a strong emphasis on lamb for Australia Day, gone were the days where families were restricted to the traditional lamb cutlet.

Gourmet lamb sausages, marinated lamb and other fancy lamb cuts were proving to popular amongst his customers.

Meanwhile, Jodie Fordham of Doeys Meat said "quick and easy to prepare" was the key when it came to Australia Day preparations.

She said while they did sell a lot of lamb during this period, there was "an overall barbecue theme across the board" with sausages, chops and kebabs a popular choice.

Meat and Livestock Australia general marketing manger, Glen Feist, said the Sam Kekovich campaign had set the scene for strong lamb sales during this key promotional period in the past.

"Australians spent a total of $2.2 billion on lamb in 2010-2011," Mr Feist said.

"Our 2011 campaign supported retailers to set a record for sales during the Australia Day week, with Australians spending $17.1 billion on lamb, 12 per cent higher than the same time in 2010."