The Sydney Royal Easter Show!

Thursday April 14^th

Hooray! Today has finally arrived! Day 1 of the Sydney Royal Easter Show! S and I are very excited! I asked her if she wanted to drive or take the train. She opted for the train. I guess when you’re 5, riding on the train adds to the sense of adventure. We even managed to score a park at our local train station – the last one in the whole parking lot. It certainly felt like a good omen.

We arrived at the Showgrounds around 10.30am. Getting through the gates was pretty straightforward. The crowds were small and we didn’t have to wait in line at all. Our first port of call- the Licorice stand 50m in from the entrance.  I love licorice!! Whenever I know someone is coming to visit from Canada, licorice is always on my list! Unfortunately (or maybe now that I’m trying to lose weight it’s a fortunate thing!!) they don’t make Twizzlers licorice here in Australia. S and I chose 3 ropes and then headed off to the play area.

S had a good romp on the play equipment. There were rock climbing walls, spinning gadgets, and other climbing equipment. S showed off a few of her cartwheels and then we headed off to find an ATM. Cash is a commodity that we definitely cannot do without today!

Cash in hand, we walked over to a ride ticket window. I knew that S would be up for some rides- especially after Disney Land. Right by the ticket booth, there was a beautiful, steam powered, wooden carousel. S was keen to ride on a pony with a braid in its tail. I stood beside her – which meant that I was able to ‘ride’ for free. As we went round and round, I couldn’t stop looking at the carousel. It was hand-made in 1918. Unreal.

S was keen to get her show bags. I, however, was not. My plan was to go to the Show Bag Pavilion at the end of the day so that I wouldn’t have to carry the bags around. I tried to distract her with some food. She decided on deep fried cheese on a stick and a lemonade. We sat down on a bench to eat and watch a show on one of the stages.

I wanted to go inside and look at some of the displays. S came along grudgingly. We swung by the Dairy Farmer’s booth, but I didn’t fancy carrying cheese around with us either. There were lots of things to look at, but prolly not all that interesting for little people.

In the next pavilion, we came across a booth that caught our interest. They were selling magic markers! We watched the whole demonstration. I was suitably impressed and was happy to fork over the cash. With the goods safely stowed away in my backpack, we made our way back to the Fresh Food Pavilion in search of ice cream. Today was definitely going to look ugly in my food diary!

I wiped the last remaining evidence of ice cream from around the corners of S’s mouth. We explored a few of the kiosks but nothing really took our fancy. I was keen for some corn on a cob. There’s nothing better! S and I shared a shaved ice drink. Finally, with the eating part out of the way, we were free to explore in earnest.

Close to where we had been eating was the Garden Pavilion. I noticed a kids section, so I steered S in that direction. Good decision. She was able to plant her very own bean seed! They put the pink plant pot in a plastic bag, and I added it to the backpack. S played in the sand pit for a few minutes. Then it was time to hug some Fruit and Veggies! There was a tomato, a banana and an orange. I imagined those outfits would have been uncomfortable. S loved it.

Finally, to get some peace of mind, I agreed to take S to the Show Bag Pavilion. It meant that I would have to carry the stuff around for the rest of the day, but she had her heart set on going there. I knew that she wouldn’t be happy until she had picked out her Show Bags. Not surprisingly, her mood lifted as soon as we entered the Pavilion.  After much appraisal, S finally settled on the Barbie Show Bag (complete with make up and a carry bag), a Sour Bag, and a Hubba Bubba bag. Bubble gum is the latest craze! We also picked up a Bertie Beetle Gold bag for G. I resisted the Harry Potter Show Bag –even though it came with a stuff owl. In fact, I resisted all of the show bags. My plan was to pick up some more licorice on our way out!

On the other side of the Show Bag Pavilion was the Coca Cola Carnival. There were heaps of rides. The music was pumping! It took me back to my childhood. Every year my parents would take us down to the Ponoka Stampede. It was a rodeo complete with a travelling carnival and my brother and I loved going! I used to beg my parents to let me play the games-convinced I’d be able to win. They always looked so easy! S was no different. It was $5 a game, so much to her dismay, I only let her play 2. I suddenly had a better understanding of why my parents weren’t keen on letting me play them! At least they gave her a prize just for playing.Games: Sponge bob- fish (hacky sac), Duck pond (tiara)

Most of the rides were intended for adults with strong stomachs! They either spun around super quick or they spun upside down – or both! S and I were not brave enough to ride them! Even watching them made me feel dizzy! There was one ride that S was determined to get me on. It was called Pirate’s Revenge. Essentially, it was a mini log ride –complete with water. Lots of water!

It looked like a lot of fun and I had brought some extra clothes for S just in case. I tried to talk her into going on it later in the day so we didn’t have to walk around wet. It took a lot of convincing, but finally S walked past it. We wandered down to the other end of the Carnival. S went to the bathroom and then it was time to hit the Bumper Cars! We had a blast zipping around the track & bumping into other cars.

There was no way to avoid it. It was Pirate’s Revenge time! We handed over our tickets and got in line. I put the rain protector over my backpack to try to keep it as dry as possible. We didn’t want our show bags to get wet! I sat in the back of the log and they lowered S down just in front of me. I squished the backpack on the seat between us and reached around to hold S tight.

What a hoot! We squealed as the front of the log plunged over the top of the hill. Water sprayed up the sides of the log as we reached the bottom of the slope and sloshed over the plastic guard rail onto the people waiting in line. We had an awesome ride!! And, yes, we got wet –but not as wet as we did on the Grizzly River Run!

As we stepped off the ride, we had to pass a little photo kiosk. They had set up a camera to take a picture just as the log crested the hill and began it’s descent. It was such a cute picture! I couldn’t resist it!

Rather than eat more candy, we thought it might be a good time to pause for dinner. S chose a Dagwood dog and I settled for a spinach and fetta Gozleme. On our way to find a seat, I found another ride ticket! Now we had just enough to ride the giant Ferris wheel! It wasn’t quite like the Mickey Mouse wheel, but it seemed to go on forever! We had an excellent view of the Show Grounds, but after getting wet on Pirate’s Revenge, the wind was a little cool.

I was pretty much done for the day. S was looking a little worse for wear as well. We had been at the Show for about 6hrs. We walked through the grounds on our way to the exit. The park that S had played in earlier was on our way. She asked if she could stop and play. I thought it would be a great way to help her work off some of the food that we’d eaten!

It wasn’t long before she made a friend. The 2 of them ran from one piece of equipment to another. Every now and then, S would do a cartwheel for good measure. Both of them seemed quite content to play. I was quite content to plant my bottom on a park bench and watch. Another bathroom break. Then back to the park to play. Finally, S’s friend Tori had to leave.

We said good-bye to the park and continued on our way to the exit. And, there it was. Kid’s World. S really wanted to go on a few more rides, so I purchased some more tickets. She went on the mini-swings. Then we went on the Wacky Worm Roller Coaster. It reminded both of us of Mulholland Drive – a ride at California Adventure Land. It seemed pretty tame. Even the hill wasn’t too dramatic. The surprise came when the descent was over and the worm went into a curve. Suddenly, the speed increased and we could feel ourselves pushed back into our seats by the centrifugal forces! We had a blast! Then, there were just enough tickets for S to ride a mini Drop of Doom.  

Both of us were exhausted. I scooped her up and we headed for the exit. Only one last thing to do before we left- buy some more licorice. Normally I’d buy the bag with the most value, but I knew that I would eat it. So, with S’s help, I picked 4 pieces and bought a small container with licorice bits in it. YUMMMY!!

I hoisted S up onto my shoulders to make the trek back to the train station. We must have just missed a train, so we plunked ourselves down on the platform and waited. Not long until we’re home.

G was very excited to see us. S was super excited to show off all of her Show Bags! Neither one of us were very hungry. I took some watermelon and rock melon out of the fridge and put them in a bowl. Then I got some plain rice crackers. I figured we could share them.

Round about 8pm, a very tuckered out S was snugly tucked into her bed.

After a mug of soy dandy, I knew I wouldn’t be long out of bed either.