Joe Hinchliffe and his daughter Maxine attended the Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka) and managed to stay within a $200 budget, discovering that the show's charm lies in its humble traditions rather than its commercial attractions.
Budgeting for the Show
The assignment seemed simple: take a child to the Ekka for a day while spending less than $200. Tickets, including pre-purchased strawberry sundaes, cost $60. The challenge was navigating the showbag pavilion and sideshow alley without overspending.
Like Vegemite, the Brisbane Exhibition splits locals into two camps: those who avoid it and those who mark the first Friday of August on their calendars. The show turns 150 this year, and its core mission remains bringing the country to the city, with many wholesome activities free of charge.
Cost-Cutting Strategies
Joe and Maxine caught the bus (50 cents) and arrived before gates opened. They packed sandwiches and snacks, and Maxine wore butterfly wings and a rainbow hair extension to feel festive without spending money.
By noon, they had seen venomous snakes handled, goats milked, sheep sheared, and a highland cow blow-dried, all without spending a cent inside. They found grass near the showjumping for downtime, and Maxie drew horses in her dad's notebook.
Indulging in Treats
After a picnic lunch, they visited the animal nursery, spending $5 on feed for 40 minutes with kid goats. Later, they watched the woodchop. By early afternoon, discipline wavered, and they bought a deep-fried potato spiral ($10) and fairy floss ($9), though Maxie didn't like the spiral and the fairy floss was too big to finish.
Joined by cousins and their parents, they entered sideshow alley. Joe paid for a gondola on the ferris wheel ($50) and turns on the giant slippery dip ($20). The cousins shouted them seats on a pirate-themed log ride, and Maxie was thrilled.
Evening Entertainment
With a Jelly Belly showbag ($10) and hot chips ($8), they headed to the main arena. Over two hours, they saw a parade of penny farthings, hot rods, camel-drawn wagons, and robot dogs herding sheep. Dirt bikers performed backflips, and V8 utes roared around the track.
A frisky goat mounted another during the Last Post, and a human cannonball from the US descended into a cannon his father built before exploding into the night.
Amid fireworks, Joe crunched the numbers and found they were still $27 within budget, regretting they didn't do one last log ride or eat a proper hot meal. They plan to do that next year.
This, Joe reflects, is the magic of the Ekka: in a city remaking itself as a world hub, it's nice to have humble traditions.
