Alpacas, pigeons and roller coasters: everything goes on the road for the Royal Easter Show

The largest agricultural show in the southern hemisphere has attracted animals, competitors and amusements from across Australia.

Stan Johnston and his cattle travelled more than 1000km from Kenilworth, on the Sunshine Coast, to attend their first Sydney Royal Easter Show. Picture: Thomas Sargeant

Stan Johnston and his herd of heifers have travelled more than 1000km to compete in the Sydney Royal Easter Show, and he isn’t mucking around: he’s aiming for gold.

Mr Johnson, from Kenilworth on the Sunshine Coast, reckons he enjoys comparing his cattle at shows “because at home they all look good”.

It’s his first time at the largest agricultural event in the southern hemisphere but he doesn’t sound intimidated. “Judging day for us is Monday; it’ll be exciting that day because you’re in a competition,” he said. “And I like to win.”

Mr Johnston spent decades working with racehorses across the country but has since moved to dairy farming, having handed the reins for the horses to his daughter. “She’s down [at the other pavilion] helping me, not ­really her scene but she likes helping Dad,” he said.

Livestock competitions at the show attract about 6500 exhibits annually across 400 different breeds, with $800,000 in cash prizes. From cows to horses, cats, pigeons and alpacas, more than 80 competitions are run across the 12 days of the show. Many competitions have junior tiers of entry to allow young people to develop a passion for working with animals.

Alpaca handler Christine Hayward said one of her favourite parts of the show was facilitating such youth activities as it was “a really great way to give back to the industry by getting the next generation through”.

Ms Hayward started working with animals after attending an alpaca show in high school. “Anyone can do it,” she said. “This age group is about six to 26-year-olds; that enables kids to have a go and hopefully fall in love like I have.”

She grew up in Sydney and now works with Storybook Alpacas in NSW’s southern highlands, assisting on the farm and during shows. “It’s huge. It’s something we all look forward to and especially something like Sydney Royal where it’s a few days.”

The alpaca competition in 2025 has attracted breeders from across the country as well as a judge from the US.

“All these breeders are from all over the country really,” Ms Hayward said. “There’s people from South Australia, Western Australia … coming to the shows enables you to get together with those people, which is really great.”

In 2024, more than $18m in agricultural sales were made at the show, making it a major event for farmers across the country. The show is also a major destination for food, rides and merchandise, with an average spend of $165 per attendee.

Even the games and prizes on offer have travelled cross-country to be at Sydney Showground.

Amusement worker Rowan Keating came from Victoria’s Gippsland region to work at the show, touring the country alongside rides and games.

Despite having spent five years working with carnivals and amusement rides, Mr Keating said the Easter Show was difficult to pull off successfully and came with plenty of stress. “It’s the biggest show in Australia so you want everything to be perfect,” he said.