It seems only yesterday I was begging my parents to take my brothers and I to the Royal Melbourne Show. When the advertising starts in August, the lure of the show bags and the rides begins to grate at parents all across Victoria. While children peruse the show guide and complete chores on a daily basis if the promise of a show visit might eventuate, mums and dads scratch their heads as to how they might afford to take their children to experience all the fun of the fair.
Truthfully, I have only been to the Royal Melbourne Show three times in my life. Once, as a very young child – a visit I don’t even recall. The second as a (approximately) nine year old and the third as a teenager. Even through the years of asking (begging) to be taken, mum and dad were not to be swayed by the overpriced show bags, food and rides, and we spent our September school holidays at home. This was not all as bad as you might think though.
The cost of a visit to the show is one that could warrant taking out a second mortgage on your home. Entry fees (not to mention driving to the showgrounds depending on where you are coming from), food, rides, more food, activities, still more food and the compulsory show bags add up extraordinarily quickly and with the standard 2 or 3 kids (or when your kids bring a friend!), you can guarantee the rest of the school holidays will be spent watching daytime TV trying to recoup losses.
Yes, the show is exciting and I do think everyone should go at least once in their lifetime. It is a traditional Melbourne event and it can teach your kids a lot about farming and agriculture – BUT – more often these days all the kids see is the opportunity to eat lots of fried food, spin upside down (and promptly vomit said fried food) and buy overpriced crap simply because it comes in a branded plastic bag.
As a kid, sure I was irked my parents wouldn’t take us to the show. Now, I realise we had something so much better. Mum would take us to the local shopping centre and give us $10 each. Back then $2 shops were all the rage and you could buy a lot of lollies for $10 – and let’s face it, all we really wanted was the lollies! Armed with 5 bags of party mix each, we would be directed to the video store where you could hire 7 weekly movies for $7. The three of us were entertained for a week for the bargain price of $37.
An individual adult ticket to the show is $29 and children (under 14) are $14, so for my family of 2 adults and three children, (if we were all under 14) entry would be $69 (family of four plus additional child rate). Even if, with inflation, you gave your three kids $20 each to spend at the $2 shop and splashed out on a few new release DVDs, you would have to be laughing.
So now I hear you crying out that all kids do these days is sit in front of the television eating? How about if you could experience all the farming fun of the fair for just $16 (2 adults and up to 4 children)? The Collingwood children’s farm will let your family learn and experience the educational side of the show for a fraction of the price. And if the weather isn’t working for you? It’s open all year round.
So while I cherish my memories of visiting the show as a child (and going as a teenager with your friends is a completely different experience), I feel once in a lifetime is probably enough. Take your kids to the Collingwood Children’s Farm and buy them some lollies that are reasonably priced (or even better – fruit). Save your cents and your sense.
