The Sydney Royal Easter Show is something that both my kids have been talking about for the last month or so. It has been a destination we have previously avoided – what would we see there that we couldn’t see at the smaller country versions? Turns out quite a lot which we discovered over the weekend.
The Show runs from Thursday 26 March to Wednesday 8 April, 2015 and is open from 9am until late every day. We arrived on opening and explored the carnival area
1. Follow the AnimalWalk. We discovered that this path weaves it’s way around the site providing what I think is the best route a family can take. All of the important attractions are embedded into the walk so you are unlikely to miss anything PLUS they have strategically placed the Showbag Gallery towards the end of the path.
2. Pack Food. While we don’t mind digging into our pockets for food and refreshments, packing drinks, snacks and a few sandwiches means we can indulge in more of the snacks that make the show famous. Carefully selected snacks also mean we don’t need to leave an exhibit to buy something if one of the kids becomes thirsty or hungry. Make sure you DO checkout all the food stands for a treat all two as well. We spotted Turkey Legs which took us back to our trip to Disneyland!
3. Showbags. Before entering the Showbag gallery we let the kids know that they had a $30.00 budget. This would provide them with the choice to buy one large bag or a number of smaller bags. Before deciding we agreed that we would all walk through the aisles so they could form their wish list and then work through this to decide on those they really wanted. This worked a treat. I was shocked that Miss N decided not to get the Frozen Showbag in favour of a Gag bag and a generic ‘girl’ bag.
4. Be Early. We arrived at a number of shows about 15-20 minutes before their scheduled start time. We had the choice of seating and used the time to have a drink, a snack and talk about what we were enjoying. Just before the show started, the seats filled and those arriving on time sat on the ground or huddled at the sides.
5. Buy the Animal Food. When you enter the Animal Nursery go and buy the $1.00 cup of food. It guarantees that at least one animal will follow you around. Make sure to teach the kids how to put food on their flattened hand so their fingers don’t get bitten.
6. Don’t drive. Did you know that public transport is included in pre purchased tickets? I had no idea! We caught a bus straight from our house and it took a mere 20 minutes right to the main gates. Highly recommended.
7. Take your time. There is so much to see at the Sydney Royal Easter Show but if you take your time and rest along the way your kidlets won’t become overwhelmed. There are shady spots all around the site and plenty to see. We’ve found that this strategy has also led us to discovering some great finds such as the Nestle Healthy Active Kids Get Cooking exhibit where the kids made rice paper rolls and apricot balls. They received a couple of keepsake plates, their apron and their food to take home too! (Find it in the The Food Farm).
8. Milk a cow. Okay, okay….we didn’t actually get to milk a cow but we did get to sit in the dairy and watch how it actually happens a couple of times a day for a a real life milking cow. We even had a chance to stick our fingers in the milking machine that goes on the cows udder to suck the milk out. It was fascinating to hear how the dairy industry has evolved over the last 35 years, how many cows can be milked in 15 minutes in your average dairy and the types of cows that are generally used for milk these days. Our family cow Daisy is actually quite rare as not one Guernsey cow was shown at this years Sydney Royal Easter Show.
9. Kids Carnival. If you have kids under 10, avoid the big rides and spend some dedicated time at the Kids Carnival. They’re kid sized and still likely to give them an adrenaline rush without giving us parents an anxiety attack. There are plenty to choose from too! We stuck to a $50.00 budget which gave our kids around 5 choices each. Miss N is a real dare devil girl and chose all the fast and high rides while Master R chose the dodgem cars and then the arcade games. It kept them busy for at least an hour.
10. Find a seat in the arena. Half way through our day we found seats in the main arena and took a few minutes to relax while we watched the Show Jumping (one of my favourite showtime events).
The Sydney Royal Easter Show provided us with a family pass this year. All views are my own.
Yay I love the easter show!
Wow, I can hardly imagine going to such a huge show! I’ve never even been to the Ekka up here!
The secret is to try to attend before the Easter long weekend when it gets really busy.
I took the kids for their first time this year and was amazed at just how much great stuff there is to do there. I thought a few hours would be plenty, but I think next time it will have to be a full day event! Might have to try and convince hubster to come too though 😉