GALLERY: All the photos captured at the 2023 Toowoomba Royal Show
Whether you enjoyed going full throttle on the dodgem cars track or reaching new heights on the roller-coasters, we captured all the thrilling moments spent at the 2023 Toowoomba Show. Check out our bumper photo gallery here.
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Roll up, roll up because the 2023 Heritage Bank Toowoomba Show is finally here.
Make sure you check back for our rolling coverage of the three-day event at the Toowoomba Showgrounds and be sure to scroll down to see our bumper photo gallery too.
Day 3
Goombungee woman Elly Close has always lived and breathed life on the land.
Whether it was competing in equestrian from the age of seven, joining the pony club or working on her family’s beef cattle properties, Ms Close has always been a passionate agriculture advocate.
Now the 18-year-old has added another sash to her growing collection after she was crowned Darling Downs Showgirl at the 2023 Heritage Bank Toowoomba Royal Show.
The worthy winner went up against eight other competitors from all corners of the Darling Downs.
“I was so shocked because I was the second youngest person competing and definitely was not expecting it,” Ms Close said.
“It’s not all about winning for me but I’m over the moon.”
As part of the judging process all entrants were judged on their involvement in the local show societies, advocacy and volunteering roles.
Ms Close said the biggest responsibilities of the role were to advocate for the local show societies and agricultural sector, as well as encourage participation from young people.
“One of the biggest issues the agricultural show society is facing is the lack of youth involvement,” she said.
“We need young people to keep the tradition alive and carry on because that’s the only way the societies will continue for another 100 years.
“In today’s society there are a lot of kids who don’t know where their food comes from so it’s so important to get them involved not just in agriculture but the community too.”
The 2023 Darling Downs Showgirl’s big win comes months after claiming the Showgirl title at the Crows Nest Show less than a year ago.
Now Ms Close is set to take on her next challenge and will represent the Darling Downs at the Queensland Showgirl comp alongside 10 other finalists from sub chambers across the state.
The winner will be announced at the EKKA in Brisbane in August.
Day 2
Revellers can ride on a piece of cinema history this weekend with the Ferris Wheel from the Oscar nominated Elvis biopic on offer at the Royal Toowoomba Show.
The ride is owned by Michael Brown from Browns amusements and was used during filming in 2020.
Mr Browns said it was luck alone that resulted in his ride being selected for the scenes.
“It was August 2020 in the middle of the Covid lockdown and I had the only Ferris Wheel in Brisbane,” he said.
The wheel features in shots involving Austin Butler who plays Elvis and Tom Hanks, who plays his manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Mr Brown said it was a delight to meet the cast, including Hanks.
“He was a nice bloke,” he said.
“We talked about fixing his mobile phone.
“He rode in one of the red carriages with Austin Butler.”
The shoot ran for about 11 hours, from 5pm to 4am, but the real work started two week earlier when Mr Brown had to strip all the safety cages from the ride and replace its lights to make it look like it was a ride from the 1950s when operators were less safety conscious.
“Back when Elvis was young there were no cages on the Ferris wheels.”
The Ferris Wheel is one of about a dozen ride on offer at Side Show Alley over the weekend and Mr Brown said would not fail to draw a crowd.
“It is a good ride of the family to go on and we get a lot of kids and a lot of grand parents,” he said.
Day 1
Opening day at the Heritage Bank Toowoomba Royal Show has been action-packed for all involved including the Centenary Heights State High School agriculture team who excelled at the Led Steer judging.
The team who are first-time entrants this year, struck gold after their 18-month-old Angus Lowline Ferdinand placed first in the lightweight division and was named Champion Junior Led Steer.
Year 10 student and team member Jennifer Richter hopes the experience will help her in her pursuit to one day become a veterinarian.
“Today has been really fun and there are all sorts of different people involved,” she said.
“(Ferdinand) can be a little bit naughty sometimes, but he did really well today and we’re all very proud of him.”
The Centenary Heights team is made of high school students from various grades.
Beef cattle judging will continue at the event on Friday and Saturday.
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