Hello.
Yikes. So tired and happy. We went to The Royal Melbourne Show today. We go every year and it is a big, long, fun, exhausting, ace, noisy kind of day out. And expensive. It's very pricey to go to The Show. But off we went and we had a lovely time. We saw Emma and Sam and Paula and their kids. We went to the CWA for curried egg sandwiches and scones and tea in Pyrex mugs. We saw some of the dog judging and some of the horse judging. Ari and Cam had a couple of rides whilst Max and I hung around and tried to win a giant and unnecessary toy from the Blackjack stand. (We did not win!) We watched people dive from a tall tower into a small swimming pool. We saw a man set himself on fire. We visited the Cookery and Craft Pavilion. We wondered about getting another puppy. We wished there were a nice restaurant to eat lunch at. We did a lot, really. We came home with lots of showbags and some honey and tired limbs. Nice.
Now Mr Cam is cooking Thai Basil and Chilli Chicken for dinner and I am pretending to work. The kids are upstairs sorting out their showbag loot and Rin has gone home for the day.
Have you been to The Show? Do you have an agricultural show in your area? (A nice lady in the Craft Pavilion gave us a list of all the shows in Victoria. You can find it here.)
Here is our advice on spending the day at The Show ::
1. Buy your tickets BEFORE YOU GET THERE : the ticket lines at the event are long (and pre-purchased tickets are cheaper)
2. Have a big breakfast at home! Arrive at around 10.30am : get your showbags straight away : then stow them in a HIRE LOCKER : it is a good idea to work out which showbags you want (via the Show website) ahead of time so you can fight the masses quickly
3. TAKE YOUR LUNCH : the food is awful (except the CWA) take your lunch in disposable recyclable packaging and sit in the Public Stand or the Arena whilst you eat it. You can see what is on in the various areas by visiting the Show Website. It's pretty nice to sit and snack and watch.
4. Wear warm clothes and comfy shoes : take a water bottle too : check the forecast and wear hoods if it might drizzle. It's a good idea to pack some bandaids, wipes and painkillers for any emergencies... the show is VERY LOUD and MESSY!
5. Take a camera or a video camera : there is lots of fun stuff to record! The overcast weather is usually ideal for great photos. I always forget to video the rides... so maybe you want to be smarter than that and film your friends or family screaming and being turned inside out.
6. Rest often and be sure to visit the CWA for a snack of scones and tea : we went after 3.30 and it was nice and quiet! You can also buy a tea cosy or a cookbook at the CWA.
7. Take public transport : it's quick and easier than dealing with the crazy traffic at Flemington and you end up right on the doorstep of The Show.
8. Try and see Oliver's Swiss Diving Extravaganza!
9. Make time to look at the animals : they may be stinky.. but they are stinkin' cute too!
10. See the wood chopping. It is rad! Dudes in white with axes and big muscles. Pretty tough.
11. Check out the cakes and preserves (and the crafty things too!) : very nostalgic and lovely : lots of school entries to cluck over as well as beautiful work from skilled and novice crafters and cooks.
12. Avoid the weird home-shopping type product pavilion : why is that there?!
13. Make sure you watch the rides before you go on them : some look harmless, but are really VERY SCARY! So watch out for that if you are the timid kind! Do not walk UNDER the very scary rides. People sometimes lose their lunch in that direction.
14. Take a kid. If you don't have one, borrow one. Kids LOVE the show. It's so nice to see how excited they get... it will make you even MORE excited about your day at The Show!
Do add your Show tips and faves in the comments, if you like!
xx Pip
When we went to The Show in 2008
When we went to The Show in 2009
NB : We are not affiliated with The Show in any way. We paid for our visit, our lunch and our show bags from our own pocket. This is not a sponsored post nor linked to any PR or Marketing Agency. We just like The Show a lot!
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