Surviving The EKKA With Kids - Part 2

Tips for surviving the EKKA with kids

I actually made it to the EKKA again this year, which was only possible with the help of my mother. Once I made the decision to actually head to the big smoke for the long weekend, I tried my hardest to convince The Farmer to join me. You know how it goes… farm will go into melt down if he leaves for a few days, such a long way etc. Once my mother decided to accompany me and the children we were ready to go!

Having made it through the day – barely – here are my tips for surviving the EKKA with young children.

1.      Start early. Avoid the huge crowds and make it onto rides with little to no fuss before lunch. The same rule applies for the showbag pavilion. Which leads me to point number 2.

The kids and I on a ride together. Sam and Darcy didn't love it as much as Olivia and I did! ;)

2.      Get yourself a locker (and if you have more than two children and plan on getting show bags) get yourself two lockers. You can ditch all your gear until you need it and then you are freed up for most of the day. We left showbags and cold weather gear (like jackets) in ours, but other people left baby gear in there as well.

3.      Make sure you grab yourself those police ID tags for your kids. Crowds are crazy at the EKKA. Good crazy.

4.      Pack as much food and drink as you can, without taking away from the EKKA experience. You will still need to score yourself some show food (whether it be a Dagwood Dog, strawberry sundae, or some Queensland fresh produce) to complete your family day out. My kids were like bottomless pits however, so some nibblies and water were particularly handy.

Mum and I sampling the amazing and iconic Strawberry Sundaes!

5.      It can get pretty warm in the middle of the day. Pack sunscreen, hats and extra water! And remember to use them.

6.      Get to shows early. We arrived at the Racing Pigs display about an hour early. It gave us a base for lunch (in the shade), and we managed to score great seats for the show – which packs out at least half an hour early.

 

The kiddies and I waiting for the Racing Pigs show to begin.

Having said all of that, my kids were completely exhausted by 4pm, and we made an early departure. So my final tip for the day (which completely goes against my number one tip) is:

 

7.      Pace yourself. We peaked too early. Start with displays, walk around, visit pavilions, and shows (whatever floats your boat), and the rides and showbags will still be there later. I’m thinking if we’d arrived at about lunch, we could still have seen everything we wanted to see, and then we could have stayed to see the night show and fireworks display.

In any event, we came, we saw, we conquered. My plan for next time is to make it to the fireworks. We all had a ball and I didn’t manage to lose any children in the progress. I’d call that a win!

The EKKA - Part 1

Show Season

Not many people know this, but once upon a time (many, many moons ago) I was the 1997 Charity Queen at the show where I grew up. What this meant at the time (aside from receiving a sash and having to participate in the parade through town) was a very cool holiday prize that I was able to share with some friends at the coast.

Now all these years later, the show season means something entirely different to me.

As a teenager I always loved the EKKA for the rides and show bags. I visited the EKKA with my school and also with my family. As a bona fide ‘coastie’ I didn’t even realise that the EKKA had an animal contingent; or perhaps I did, but it held little interest for me at that time.

The Farmer and I went to the EKKA once when we were dating and he introduced me to the livestock sections, sheep and cattle dog displays and wood chop. I also paid my first visit to the Cattleman’s Bar and Jubilee Pub that evening. So did everyone else from rural Queensland as well I think; or so it seemed.

We have taken our children to the EKKA only once. It was a hazy mishmash of toddler-friendly rides, even more show bags and lots of animals. We managed not to lose any kids (WIN!) but now that the children are all a little older, there’s a good chance we will be heading back again soon.

Back at home, we have a close involvement with our local show. Some years ago, The Farmer and I got involved with the local Show Society. Somehow we snagged the Rodeo section, which was a steep learning curve but also my first foray into serious country business. I didn’t even know how to pronounce RODEO properly at that point. Later The Farmer became Vice President of the show, and then eventually President for a few years. For all of the work behind the scenes, it’s been a great way to get involved in the community.

And now the EKKA is just around the corner again. I have taken my flu injection this year and I am ready to face the crowds and cooler weather so that I might be able to enjoy a strawberry sundae, the Ferris Wheel, the sheep dog trials and the evening show in the arena.

Hopefully I see you there!