How to take your family to the Royal Melbourne Show for under $200
A family visit to the Royal Melbourne Show doesn’t have to break the bank, with plenty of free activities for every member of the family to enjoy. These are the freebies and handy hacks for a cost-effective outing at the show.
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Between the showbags, the rides and the food, the Royal Melbourne Show can make for an expensive day out.
But planning ahead and taking advantage of a few handy hacks and freebies can give you a cost-effective outing that won’t leave you needing to remortgage your house.
With the 2019 Royal Melbourne Show kicking off on Saturday, September 21, here’s how to take the family for less than $200.
HOW TO GET CHEAPER SHOW TICKETS
Show tickets cost $42 for adults, $28 concession and $21 for children, or up to $80 for a family.
But there are a few ways to bag discounted entry.
You can get a 20 per cent discount on entry when buying early-bird tickets, or RACV members get up to 25 per cent off admission until Friday, September 20.
You can also save up to 10 per cent on tickets by buying them at participating Woolworths stores.
Another way to score cheaper tickets is by entering the showgrounds from 5pm onwards. The After 5 Super Saver, available online or at the gate, gives you 50 per cent off the admission price for adults and children, or 25 per cent off concession tickets.
Or round up your friends — groups of 20-plus can also get up to 25 per cent off the entry price.
You can also buy a two-day VIP pass for two people for $85 (online only).
FOOLPROOF SHOWBAG STRATEGY
The showbags hall is bigger than ever this year, which means it may be even easier than usual to empty your wallet there.
And let’s be honest — you’re probably not going to get away with avoiding it altogether.
Prepping ahead is they best way to avoid spending all your hard-earned on lollies and novelty toys.
More than a third of the 360-plus showbags on offer cost less than $20, with 60 going for $5 or less.
Find them with our interactive showbag picker — use it to figure out which bags you want before you even set foot in the showgrounds.
You can add your favourites to a printable list, which will maximise your chances of getting in and out of the showbag pavilion as quickly as possible.
Hot tip: Grabbing your showbags when you arrive at the show, instead of just before you leave, will save you battling crowds later in the day. It may also spare you some nagging from your kids.
BEST-VALUE SHOWBAGS
Some showbags represent good bargains for savvy shoppers, including:
Novelty: Gag Magic Showbag ($15, value $93.35), Ultimate Magic Showbag ($22, value $110.20).
Beauty: ModelCo Cosmetics Showbag ($20, retail value $187), Australis Cosmetics ($25, $167.61).
Fashion: YDC Fashion Pack ($28, value $204.14), Roxy Showbag ($30, value $144.71).
Magazines: Elle Showbag ($25, retail value $273.99), Marie Claire showbag ($28, value $250.09).
Sport: Stella Athletic Showbag ($30, value $218.09), Athletica Ulitmate Fitness Pack ($30, value $207.20)
Food: Art, Craft and Cookery Showbag ($25, value $204.10); Nuts About Life Showbag ($30, value $134).
Movies and characters: Star Wars ($25, value $95.93); Mr. Potato Head ($20, value $79.93).
TV shows: My Kitchen Rules Showbag ($25, $132.38); The Simpsons ($25, value $99.93).
Confectionery: Mega Showbag ($30, value $92); Bertie Beetle Diamond Deal ($15, value $44).
HOW TO GET CHEAPER SHOW RIDES
The Melbourne show’s carnival areas are where the family show budget can spiral out of control if left unchecked, with rides costing $5 to $20 each.
But a day or night out at the show doesn’t mean having to skip the rides altogether.
Thrillseekers can save up to 30 per cent by buying tickets online before you go, with ride passes starting at $25 for $35 worth of rides.
Or make the rides your first stop, so you can make the most of the two-for-one rides on offer from 10am-11am every day.
FREE THINGS TO DO AT THE MELBOURNE SHOW
From perennial Royal Melbourne Show favourites like the animal nursery, dog shows and art and craft displays, to new attractions like animatronic dinosaurs, there are enough freebies on offer to make it a relatively inexpensive day out.
FIRST NATIONAL REAL ESTATE FARMYARD
This is the place to visit the show’s resident sheep, cattle, goats and alpacas and get some first-hand experience of what life is like on the farm. Friendly Farmer Darryl will be on hand to answer questions.
Feeding time: 9.30am, 5.30pm daily.
Pat a pig: 9.30am-6pm daily.
BIOSTIME ANIMAL NURSERY
Pat and feed farmyard favourites including goats, lambs, ducklings and chooks.
Chat to a farmer to learn about how they care for and raise their animals, or grab a cup of feed to give to the animals for $2.
Bottle-feed an animal: 10.30am daily.
Animal Education Hub: 10.30am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3.45pm, 5.30pm daily.
Donnibrook Wildlife Rescue: 12.15pm, 2pm, 3.45pm daily.
LIVESTOCK PAVILION
Try your hand at milking a Jersey cow or test your skill on the shears and learn how Australia produces some of the world’s most sought after wool.
Big M milking experience: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm.
Sheep-shearing experience: 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm.
WOOLWORTHS PAVILION
Chef Rupert will showcase a range of farm-fresh food while also offering tips and tricks to help you in the kitchen. Reserve a seat at the check-in desk.
Kids’ Fresh Food activities: 9.30am-11am, 6pm-8pm.
GET CRAFTY
The newly renovated Spotlight Makers Pavilion will showcase more than 4000 works by artists, cooks and crafters.
Kids and adults alike can get stuck into a range of free art and craft activities.
Spotlight Makers Pavilion: 9.30am-7pm daily.
THE SEVEN DOME
Read the news, test your knowledge against the Chasers, and immerse yourself in Summer Bay and the Australia’s Got Talent stage.
Channel 7 Entertainment Precinct: 10am-6pm daily.
VICTORIA POLICE EXHIBIT
Kids can unleash their crime-busting capabilities with fun activities including ID fingerprint cards, a junior detective competition, police mini-cars and police officer dress-ups.
RACV Pavilion: 9.30am-7pm daily.
MEET THE DINOSAURS
Discover the ancient world of prehistoric dinosaurs with the interactive walk-through exhibition in the new Jurassic Creatures Pavilion.
It features animatronic dinosaurs including the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Jurassic Creatures Pavilion, 9.30am-7pm daily.
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE
Also new this year is the Future Pavilion, a tech and video gaming experience.
Explore robots, gadgets and technology in three keys zones or take time out in the cafe.
Future Pavilion, 9.30am-7pm daily.
FREE ANIMAL PERFORMANCES
WORKING DOGS SHOW
See these intelligent, speedy working dogs in action, rounding sheep into a pen just as they would on the farm.
Learn how the dogs are trained to listen to farmer Jack Briscoe’s commands and safely guide the flock.
Channel 7 Entertainment Precinct: 10am, 11.30am, 2pm, 4.30pm daily.
MAGNIFICENT 7 HORSE SHOW
The show features seven Australian stock horses under the careful eye of Luke Thomas, who will explain how he trains his horses, the background of the breed and take you through the training required to perform each captivating routine.
This show culminates in a 15-minute comedy performance, the Wild Horse Act.
Channel 7 Entertainment Precinct, 11am, 1pm, 3.30pm, 5pm daily.
HOWLING HUSKY DEMO TEAM
These dogs love to wow audiences with their strength, determination, excitement and intelligence as they demonstrate what it takes to be a sled dog.
They thrive on crowd involvement, making for a highly interactive display.
Black Hawk Dogs Pavilion, September 29-October 1, 10.30am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm, 4.30pm.
K9 NINJA CHALLENGE
Watch four-legged contestants go paw to paw on an obstacle course.
Taking on Mt Pawsiusko, tunnels and angled platforms, these canine competitors (and their handlers) will take on the challenge to uncover a hidden ninja star.
Black Hawk Dogs Pavilion: September 21-28, noon; September 29-October 1, 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm.
VICTORIA POLICE DOG DEMONSTRATION
Since joining the Victoria Police dog squad, passive alert detection dogs have helped sniff out illegal activity and catch many offenders.
See a dog in action, uncovering illicit items hidden around the pavilion.
Black Hawk Dogs Pavilion: September 22, 24, 26, 28-30, October 1, noon-1pm.
FREE FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT
HERALD SUN ARENA
The Team D-Max Precision Driving Team will take on high-speed driving acts and demonstrations to show what their vehicles are capable of.
High-flying riders will join them, battling it out for arena supremacy in the Freestyle Motocross Stunt Show.
Finish off your visit with the Royal Melbourne Show Fireworks spectacular, which will light up the sky each night.
Team Isuzu D-MAX precision driving demonstration: 1.15pm, 7pm daily.
Freestyle motocross stunt show: 1.30pm, 7.30pm daily.
Fireworks: 7.50pm daily.
CHANNEL 7 ENTERTAINMENT PRECINCT MAIN STAGE
Magician and escapologist Cosentino takes to the main stage this year for new death-defying stunts from his new show, Anything is Possible.
See the PAW Patrol cast come alive on stage in a new singing, dancing performance, with the chance to meet favourite characters after each performance.
Also new on the show program this year is the Elton John Experience tribute show.
Cosentino The Grand Illusionist: 3pm, 5.30pm daily.
PAW Patrol Live on Stage: 10.30am, 1.30pm daily.
PAW Patrol Meet and Greet: 11.15am, 2.15pm daily.
The Elton John Experience: 12.30pm, 4pm, 6.30pm daily.
ROYAL MELBOURNE SHOW PARADE
This twice daily spectacle will include kids’ characters and Melbourne’s best community performers.
The CWA Public Stand provides the best vantage point to view the parade.
Channel 7 Entertainment Precinct, 12.15pm, 2.30pm daily.
WOODCHOPPING
Don’t miss the skill and precision on display in the Woodchop Pavilion as Australia’s best axemen and women battle it out for woodchop supremacy.
Woodchop has been a feature of the Royal Melbourne Show for more than 100 years.
Across nine days, competitors go head to head in a range of events, including sawing, underhand, standing block and the World Tree Felling Championship.
Get in early to nab a good spot.
Woodchop Pavilion, September 21-29, 11am-5pm.
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ROYAL MELBOURNE SHOW REVAMP TO ENTICE BIGGER CROWDS
40 THINGS ALL PARENTS SAY AT THE SHOW
CHEAP EATS AT THE 2019 MELBOURNE SHOW
Of course the most budget-friendly way to dine at the show is to BYO — pack a picnic and take in one of the free entertainment options over lunch.
But there are a couple of other options if you’d rather sample the food wares on offer.
The Woolworths Fresh Market is a good place to buy farm-grown food.
Get your toastie fix for $3 from The Cheese Toastie Factory in Eat Street, inside the showbag pavilion.
The cafe run by CWA volunteers has been a favourite pit stop for show visitors for more than 70 years.
This year the CWA kitchen is looking to beat its record of 15,000 scones sold in 2018, but it will also offer fully cooked breakfasts and hearty home-cooked lunches. Find it under the public grandstand from 9.30am-6.30pm daily.
Food trucks peppered around the showgrounds will serve up everything from sandwiches to kettle corn, pizzas and pies.
And any time you need a caffeine fix, head to the Herald Sun Cafe Lounge.
Look out for the discount coffee voucher in your free copy of the Herald Sun at the showgrounds.