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| Spinning around: living the high life at the Royal Melbourne Show. Photo: Jason South |
By Alana Schetzer
Melbourne has long been devoid of a proper theme park. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. But for two glorious weeks of the year, Melburnians get to play at the Royal Melbourne Show - the closest thing we poor deprived beings have to Disneyland.
It's 12 days of fairy floss, dizzying rides and the aroma of farm animals. And I love it.
For many Melburnians, a trip to the Show was a highlight of their childhood. What started in 1848 as a way to bring the country to the city, the Show evolved to a fun festival that organisers expect more than half a million people to experience.
Although Melbourne is known as a major events powerhouse, most of those events centre around sports, food or art. The Show is one of the few celebrations of pure fun, where not thinking is encouraged and scoffing your face full of curly fries, ice-cream and cheese samples is the order of the day.
And it is not just kids that love to line up for showbags. Big kids love it too. The Royal Melbourne Show is enjoying a resurgence in popularity with the crowd that grew up with Cabbage Patch Kids and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The first time.
I am very much one of those people. I celebrate the beginning of September not because it is the first day of spring but because the countdown to the Show can begin. Love everything about the Show - the crowds, the endless choice in showbags full of sugar and dubious-quality toys, the baby animals that look bored and buckets of over-priced hot chips drenched in tomato sauce.
I obsessively scan the showbag guide, make a list of must-see attractions and plan them by which time is optimum for avoiding the biggest queues. In other words, I treat a day at the Show like Henry VII treated the Battle of Bosworth.
Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria chief executive Mark O'Sullivan says the Show has found a new flavour with adults. Fresh food has been a big part of that, with gourmet showbags, cooking classes, pop-up restaurants and demonstrations part of the appeal.
"The RASV has made a conscious effort to grow the Show's appeal to a broader audience by placing an emphasis on promoting and celebrating the agricultural industry's entire value chain at the Show – from paddock to plate," he says.
"The popular Tastes of Victoria Pavilion was introduced in 2012 and showcases the state's top products and foodie experiences from some of Victoria's most esteemed producers. This areas provides Show visitors an opportunity to sample award-winning food, wine, beer and cider, learn expert tips from local chefs and meet the producers behind some of Victoria's top products."
This year, Estelle, Hammer & Tong and Pho Nom will be among the pop-up restaurants to, er, pop up in the Tastes of Victoria Pavilion, plus the new Burch & Purchese Dessert Bar.
For the smaller kids - plus myself - this will be the first year guests can meet and greet Mickey and Minnie Mouse and let out their inner diva with the Frozen Karaoke Marquee.
One of the keys to freshen up the Show was the 2006 redevelopment of the showgrounds in Flemington, which has allowed an assortment of new and ever-changing indoor and outdoor events
Technology has also played a major role in changing the Show, O'Sullivan says.
"To engage Show visitors across a range of platforms, the RASV was an early adopter of social media and now has a combined online community of more than 73,650 across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that are engaged all year around."
Personally, I'm a theme park nut. I was practically raised at SeaWorld and any holiday without a whiz on a rollercoaster is not, in fact, a holiday.
I have had the good fortune of visiting Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, DreamWorld, MovieWorld, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm and Hong Kong Disneyland. Yes, theme parks can be expensive, noisy and exhausting, but that's only if you don't go in without a military-strength strategy.
My theme park motto is: You cannot expect to have fun; you have to plan for it.
And no matter how big or small a park is, the agenda generally stays the same - to avoid the crowds, not spend a squillion dollars and leave in one piece.
- 1. Arrive early. Make the effort to get up early and arrive about half an hour before the gates open. Do not be distracted by the sight or noise of children. If you got there first, you go in first. Little Timmy or Tina can just wait.
- 2. Visit the showbag hall early. It gets insane-busy very quickly but there is usually a lull in the morning. Get in and get out.
- 3. Bring a plastic poncho with you. The Show charges a small fortune for these, so pick one up for a few bucks at a $2 store and you'll be able to get through the water rides without needing to rinse yourself out.
- 4. Hire a locker. Shove your showbags and other stuff in them and your sore arms will thank you.
- 5. Wear comfy shoes and pack sunscreen, a water bottle, hand sanitiser and a will to live.
- 6. Get lunch at the Country Women's Association's canteen early. It is one of the most popular places to eat.
- 7. If you want to save money, go later. In its dying days, you can often get further discounts on showbags, such as two for one.
- 8. Fill up for free by going on a sample tour in the food pavilions.
- 9. If you love rides, buy tickets in bulk. You will save money and time in the queue buying them each time.
- 10. Go and meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse at the Entertainment Dome. This is not a drill, I repeat, go and meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
If you are anything like me, then the annual show is not enough to quench your roller coaster appetite. It is not always possible to jet off to the Gold Coast or Disneyland, but Victoria is not without its options. The most notable is Luna Park in St Kilda, which is home to the classic Great Scenic Railway and the Power Surge.
If you have a kid - or are just a big-kid at heart - there is Dockland's Wonderland Fun Park. Designed for children aged eight and under, it's a bite-sized park with a carousel, pirate ship, dodgem cars, and enough popcorn to satisfy everyone.
Outside of Melbourne, a handful of fun parks litter the countryside - Adventure Park near Geelong, Gumbuya Park in Tynong and Fun Fields in Whittlesea. Most of these parks are water-based, with slides and boats, plus the mini golf and dodgem cars.
Thirty-three-year-old Winston Tan admits he got his childhood all wrong. The communications professional only attended the Show once as a child but he started going religiously a few years ago. He has been eagerly awaiting the showbag guide to be released.
"It's a very Melbourne thing, the Show," he says. "It's very Melbourne. I recently visited the Gold Coast, where it's very glitzy glamour, and it made me realise there's something quaint about the Show. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It has a lot of heart to it, which places like MovieWorld don't have.
"I'm a sucker for showbags. There's something about opening a showbag and seeing all these lolly brands you've never heard of and toys that will break on the train on the way home.
"I remember going when I was six or seven and I got the Inspector Gadget showbag. It included sunglasses with windshield wipers. Which never worked, but you don't ever really expect them to, do you?
"It's one of those silly things about the show that I'm blindly attracted to."
As tastes change and new audiences find something to like about the Show, O'Sullivan says the Show will continue to evolve with them.
"The RASV will continue to work on enhancing the Show experience through analysing research to better understand customer needs, wants and expectations and enhancing the event program to ensure it continues to evolve, innovate and respect the event's heritage so that it remains relevant, exciting, entertaining and great value for families, teenagers and adults alike."
Personally, I have already practised my drills and will be willing to push a five-year-old out the way if they get between me and the animal nursery.
As for Tan, he's waiting to flick through the showbag guide and make a long list of goodies, which will, of course, include the famous Bertie Beetle offering. He'll be stuffing his wallet full of pineapples to splash on rides, food and games throughout the day, but given it only happens once a year, he is OK with that.
"At the end of the day, it's completely exhausting but you've had such a good time, even if you do end up paying $10 a hotdog. But that's half of the attraction."
The Royal Melbourne Show is on September 20 to October 1.
For more information, visit
royalshow.com.au.
Luna Park
lunapark.com.au
Wonderland Fun Park
wonderlandfunpark.com.au
Adventure Park
adventurepark.com.au
Fun Fields
funfields.com.au
Gumbuya
gumbuya.com.au
Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/the-royal-melbourne-show-is-the-closest-thing-we-get-to-disneyland-20140909-10eadw.html
