28 February 2009

Royal Canberra Show 2009

| Kramer
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Despite Canberra’s significant republican leanings and no sign of HRH at the event, the Royal Canberra Show seemed to be a roaring success today. There are more things to see than one can possibly manage – especially with 3 small kids in tow. Even though they (kids & parents) may leave tired and grizzly, it’s definitely a great family day out. Fortunately we had scored two adult tickets, so we didn’t have to swallow the bitter pill of entry fees (would have been $40 for us two adults, as kids under 6 are free).

We spent most of our time looking at the animals, as the kids are greatly impressed by the cute animals (baby ducks and piglets) and the bigger animals (merinos and bulls).

For a brief period we dragged the kids away from the animals and into the fresh food hall. We all found the food sculptures entertaining – see the photo of the winning “Okra Winfrey Show”. I was very grateful (as will most RiotACT readers) to learn that the first prize winner for both the meat pie and sausage roll was Micks Bakehouse – on getting home I was saddened to learn that Micks Bakehouse is located in Wagga Wagga (looks like I’ll be up for a drive one weekend).

While we ate lunch we watched the Toyota V6 Hilux Heroes precision driving team rip up the horse trotting track. Their show reminded me of borrowing my dad’s car as a teenager, and finding the nearest dirt carpark. Although I don’t think I ever managed a full lap of on two wheels as these guys do.

The highlight was definitely the pig racing and diving show, even though the seating was limited (or maybe the crowd was just too big) and the show was too short. Anyway we pushed the kids to the front, and stood at the back peering over the masses in front. As I was at the back I couldn’t get any pics, but here’s some from the same show when it was run in Melbourne. Little pigs flying through the air – need I say more.

After yet more looking at animals, the kids were virtually destroyed (bugger) and too tired to contemplate showbags or rides (yay). So we piled into (and onto) the pram, and dragged them all the way back to the car parked somewhere in outer Gungahlin.

Finally, here’s a sample of my pics from the day..

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Americanberran7:53 pm 02 Mar 09

‘Twas prolly a nice show and all, but I firmly refuse to patronize a rip-off venue.
In fact, last year, my wife and I ariived at the admission gate of Canberra Zoo: “$47, please”.. K, we didn’t actually go inside, but when the breeze swept passed the elephant cage, right into the parking lot.. we sorta felt that the gust had provided the gist of the experience, anyway.

I wouldn’t be surprised!

Granny said :

I’ve never kept my eyes open in the house of horror. Once I went through twice with my eyes shut!

Was that ‘cos of the guy in the ghost suit?

On a serious note though the agricultural side of it is great but those carneys freak me right out.

Not all of them, but there are some genuinely scary people amongst them.

Modern day gypsys they are, hands on your wallets everyone!

I’ve never kept my eyes open in the house of horror. Once I went through twice with my eyes shut!

I always enjoy the rush of adrenaline I get from a carny ride. There’s that rather high chance that you will die in a rather horrific way and take a lot of people with you.

Especially when you see a few bolts from the machine sitting on the ground underneath it.

I also enjoy the scary dude who jumps on your dodgem car to steer you in the right direction. When I was younger I wanted to be that dude.

Then I hit puberty and discovered it would be much more satisfying being the guy in the ghost costume in the house of horror because, well I think we all know why.

Minnie has been waiting all year to go on the “Paris” wheel again, so we went along. Seeing the day reflected in a little girl’s eyes does make it kind of magical.

When I was at Woden Bus Interchange on Saturday, rediscovering the Pluses of Buses, it seemed that every drug addict and their kids and tag-a-long friends were queuing up to catch a bus to the show.

And to the bald dero loser who insisted on trying to start a fight with his dero mate at the interchange in front of a heap of little kids – good on you, you winner.

Americanberran3:45 pm 02 Mar 09

Yeah, not too many idiots.. except for all the people there that got ripped-off.

One of my favourite things to see at the show every year is the woodchopping, and this year was just as good.

Those guys are incredible and it’s really interesting to sit and watch for a little while – shame there is no shade over the seating though.

Also this year we had a good time watching the dog events, agility, flyball and the working dogs with the sheep (can’t remember the proper name!). makes me wonder if my two kelpie x red heelers would be any good.

Overall it was a really good (half) day out, not too busy, not too hot, lots to look at and not too many idiots.

Hehehe I too thought the knitted dalek was up there with the best. The alpacas decided to have a spitting contest when we were there.

The rides are to expensive but still alot of fun I thought i was enjoying the rides but my son reckons i had the fright look on my face when i was on the claw ride,Show bags are the same to expensive.
The wood chopping was good as always.The main arena had some good stuff on including the demo derby at the end of the day on sunday The grandstand was full.

You could tell the horses are back by the smell in the air.

All up we had a great day and there is deffinetly no moths in my wallet as it was open all day.

Clown Killer said :

Dutch poffertjes (mini pancakes)

Our friends from the Netherlands love them as well – they always make a point of getting some when they visit. Strangely, it seems they’re unheard of where they come from.

That is very odd; our Dutch friends (we have a few!) introduced us to poffertjes and they all have the special little pans for making them! They have poffertjes morning teas!

Ahhh the good old Canberra Show… my memories of the show this year involve having a good laugh at the ACT RFS boys trying to blow up a balloon and having no idea how to operate the helium tank. Good thing they know how to use hoses !

I found the circus entertaining and my 4 yr old niece was mesmerised by “2 short” who performed acrobatics.

The best value was the Bells ride for the little kids. I believe it was $15 for 4 rides. I think my niece ran around like a maniac on the giant slide for at least 20mins. The only downside was the old guy operating a bunch of the rides wearing a “Thanks for being Smokefree” t-shirt with a smoke in his mouth the whole time. Tried to get a photo but alas failed miserably.

Disappointed by the same stalls over and over again… Seriously how many people need to be out there selling ‘bubble guns’, and spraying temp tattoo’s. However normally every second stall in Sideshow alley is the ‘pick a card and match the numbers stall’ to win a random giant prize. I believe I only saw the one this year.

I will have to say I am STILL disappointed with Darrell Lea !! 2 years running they have been sold out of their showbags (and I went on FRIDAY, was told to come back Saturday) Will they not learn to take more stock out ??

Worst memory was the Saturday hangover, demolishing an entire bag of kettle corn and suffering with a sugar headache for the rest of the day – then going out to the Brumbies game only to discover just how much money I had spent the day before while trying to find some to pay $5 for a hotdog.

Ohwell – I say bring on tomorrow where I will devour my fairy floss and suffer yet another sugar headache for the day.

Mrs Danman and I attended on Friday – I liked the hand knitted Dalek the most

Each year I remember to enter photos a few days after the entries close – I have already made a calender appointment for next year to remember – Lots of local talent though 😛

Mrs Danman and I were actually celebrating exactly 5 years from our first date, and in the same manner, but have decided we are getting old because we prefer the exhibits to sideshow.

I got 4 out of 4 on the tin ducks – the sights were dead on – which is rare, and for my efforts got some cheap metal handcuffs for later use 🙂

Clown Killer10:54 am 01 Mar 09

Dutch poffertjes (mini pancakes)

Our friends from the Netherlands love them as well – they always make a point of getting some when they visit. Strangely, it seems they’re unheard of where they come from.

GardeningGirl said :

Maybe next year the people manning the information desks will have figured out that there is indeed a difference between llamas and alpacas.

LOL, of course there’s a difference. Alpacas starts with an ‘A’ and Llama’s with an ‘L’.

I haven’t been to the show since I was in my early 20’s (it always falls on the weekend closest of my birthday so going was always a treat) but would love to go again, especially as I now have my own kids. I just fear endless hours of having to listen to them asking to go back to the rides. That said, I’m seriously considering taking them next year.

Thanks for the pics though Kramer, good to still the Agricultural side of the show it is still going strong.

For planning purposes, how much are the rides nowdays?

I did a couple of shifts on the ABA change room roster, the cats building really is a good spot for a quiet break. It’s nice when someone brings you some cold water while you’re sitting down to feed your baby, or shows the older kids where the toys and colouring books are so they don’t run off while you’re busy.

My favourite things at the Show this year: Dutch poffertjes (mini pancakes) and a cold soft drink from the Oxfam cart (in between the Leisure & Lifestyle and showbag pavilions); a Hilux going sideways; amazing needlework in the Crafts Expo; and the kids loved the baby chickens in the Farmyard Nursery.

The ABA venue for feeding and changing babies was inside the building with the cats in it – behind the arena. It is a good idea to have a nice quiet space. It was near the toilets.

GardeningGirl12:35 am 01 Mar 09

No, couldn’t face the long walk back 🙁 What a shame when they put the llamas at the top of the list of what’s new this year on their website they didn’t think to adequately brief the staff. Not a lot of alpacas yet on Friday morning either.
I’ve also been wondering if there was a breastfeeding venue. I remember seeing a sign that said breastfeeding at the pavillion where we were sent to find the cats, which turned out not to be there on Friday anyway. I heard one of the staff send a lady to the vicinity of the toilets in the Coorong Building. I don’t know if there is something there but I would have thought an event as big as the show would warrant a larger space dedicated to that purpose.
On a brighter note it was lovely seeing the donkeys. One was being unloaded from the float and made his arrival known in a big way. So gorgeous!

GG, they may have been confused because while there are competition categories for alpacas, the llamas were just a display (there being approximately 1200 registered pedigree llamas in the country and tens of thousands of alpacas). They also might have thought you didn’t know the difference between the two — most people get them confused and I even heard one kid telling his mother he’d just patted a “camel” when it was really a llama.
Hope you found them — the boys were very friendly and there was the cutest spotted baby one.

I must confess I’d be hard-pressed to know the difference, but at least I know that there is one.

GardeningGirl9:56 pm 28 Feb 09

We always look at the animals and the craft and produce exhibits. Maybe next year the people manning the information desks will have figured out that there is indeed a difference between llamas and alpacas. Three staffers all told us where the alpacas are and tried to tell us it’s the same thing when we said no, we’re trying to find the llamas.

Nice to hear of someone looking at the backbone of the show, the Ag stuff. when I was younger, it was all showbags and rides, but the really good stuff is the Ag exhibits, and I especially love the produce. Once I saw a lemon the size of a football.

The people who bring the stuff and animals have put so much effort into what they do, and the results are marvellous. I’m sorry I’m sitting in Utah right now and so will miss the show by a few days. Looks like it was a good year for Dahlias, anyway.

We had 2 adults to one child and are still exhausted. A great time was had by all, although could have done with some more tables and chairs in the shade!

Twas a great day. Exhausting tho – and we had one adult per child – I can’t imagine taking three.

There is stacks to look at, and it didn’t seem too crowded this year – seats and tables available in various places, and queues not too drastic at the food vans. The parking is a long way from the gates, but there isn’t much they can do about that.

I loved the obstacle courses for dogs, and the alpacas. The craft tent had some gorgeous quilts and cakes shaped like dogs etc, but we were running out of steam by then.

The only disappointments for me where the lack of recycling bins, and also the CT showbag didn’t have a two for one Folk Festival ticket this year.

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