"The Show", as it is known to Melburnians, is an annual Springtime event since 1848, coinciding with the school term holidays and the Australian Rules Football finals.

Everyone remembers being taken by their parents, then becoming old enough, as teenagers, to go alone with friends and later, taking our own children. The Show has its own dedicated train station and is easily reached from central Melbourne.

The traditional purpose is the display of rural industry including livestock and produce with its associated competitions and awards, however the show also includes amusement rides and a sideshow alley as well as the peculiarly Australian tradition of "Showbags' containing samples of goodies produced by commercial enterprises Wikepedia

We went all the way by train to see the livestock and the Arts and Crafts, to eat at the traditional CWA (Country Women's Association) pavillion and to gape at some of the extreme "rides". It reminded us of our experiences in past years but we noticed that it is becoming almost unbearably crowded and is increasingly less authentic.