It wasn’t my first time in this beautiful city in Queensland though.
Brisbane is the third largest city in the country and the capital of the state of Queensland. The city, with its vibrant atmosphere and tropical weather year round, is a real success with local and international tourists alike.
It enjoys a pleasant climate all year round and offers an ideal living environment for its inhabitants. This time around we went with the purpose of visiting Ekka, though we also learned a few interesting things such as that Australia also has the largest livestock farm in the world in the South of the country and that the technologies used in Australian farming defy what can be found in other industries as well.
The EKKA show is a farming festival in Brisbane area which is held every - Australian - winter season.
As a matter of fact, Brisbane once a year in August and for about 10 days hosts The Ekka which is a cross between a farm festival and a funfair.
The fair attracts hundreds of thousands of people every edition so we went on a Monday with my colleagues which was not bad to avoid the crazy crowds of the weekend.
It was a combination of pavilions with farm animals, rides, food stalls as well as competitions and shows.
It started with a rather Australian show with horses and then cows on the roof of a truck and ended with a fireworks display and even a laser show just to give you an idea of how big it was.
It is indeed Queensland's largest annual event and it is held at the Brisbane Showgrounds.
The iconic fair has been running since 1876 and is therefore a tradition for many Australian families while it offers novelties every year.
If you go for the food, you will find samples of fruit, cold cuts, cheese, juices, wines and even spirits, all homemade and local of course!
Several stalls across the fair grounds offer eating and drinking opportunities and there are plenty of tables where to sit and enjoy our meals.
If you go for the animals, you will be able to learn a lot about the different species of chickens, rabbits, horses, cows and farm animals in general but also about pets such as cats and dogs and what role they play on the farms.
If you go for shopping, you will notice you can also buy farm animals or pets at the EKKA, all certified.
If you go for the children, they will love it for the petting zoo, the fireworks and for the funfair rides which are top class.
If you go for the entertainment…well, that is the best part I think.
Other than the grand opening parades and the spectacular closing show with fireworks, you can attend as a spectator (or as a participant) the many competitions on schedule: the title for the biggest vegetable, the prettiest chicken, the heaviest cow… just to name a few.
You can also test your luck and get a lottery ticket or try to guess the number of eggs in a big container to win prizes.
The farmers participating at the event are so friendly and eager to talk about their jobs and their traditions that it is not rare to drop by a stand and initiate a conversation with one of them.
There is an entrance ticket to pay which does not include the rides which can be paid separately.
EKKA is a must to get a true taste of the Australian farming culture and what the farming Outback is about.
