Small crowd Leaves room for fun
ATTENDANCE at day two of the Royal Hobart Show was down compared to Thursday’s event – and not everyone was on their best behaviour.
At 1.30pm a number of police vehicles and several officers were seen at the gate of the showground.
Police said a 22-year-old man was taken into custody and released a short time later in relation to a “minor disturbance”.
Despite the smaller crowd, many were happy for the extra elbow room to lap up the atmosphere.
Covid restrictions on numbers allowed for up to 5000 people at each show session, with less stallholders signed up to work the event than previous years to match the number of showgoers.
At Sideshow Alley, some rides had as few as two children.
Stall operator Braiden Graham noticed the numbers were down compared to Thursday.
“Not as many as yesterday, but numbers have started rising coming into the afternoon, numbers are still steady though,” Mr Graham said.
“People come in waves, it’ll be quiet for a minute or two and then they all swarm. “I’m kept on my feet.” Parent Madison Spaulding enjoyed the quieter show atmosphere.
“It’s funny being here and it not being really crowded,” Ms Spaulding said.
“I guess in some aspects, that’s nice, you don’t have to line up for a long time and there’s space to eat.”
But there was still plenty to see and do including the favourites.
The kennel section proved
to be a winner with many, as show dogs showed off their style.
About 180 breeds are being shown in seven groups and each group is judged separately.
“Normally we get entries from all around Tasmania,
Victoria and South Australia but Covid has stopped it, so we’ve got a slightly smaller show,” kennel section chairman Rex Lowe said.
“It’s a big event for the show, it’s probably the third most popular.”
Mr Lowe said the dogs had
been a part of the show for more than 150 years.
Charlotte Hall, 9, said the dog show was her favourite.
“We’re helping with the dogs and wandering around,” Charlotte said.
“We like the ones with the beards.”
There were plenty of other animals on display and this year the goats proved popular.
“They’re so well handled, they’re very friendly, they love people, they love attention,” goat breeder Anna Shepheard said.
“They’re one of the few livestock exhibits people can get hands-on with.
“They like to stand at the front of the pen and invite people to pat them.”
In the woodchopping event, axemen showed off their strength – something that’s been tougher to do during the pandemic.
Wood chopper Daniel Gurr said he’d usually travel around Australia and attend other royal shows and steel timber sports competitions.
“I got into this event through steel timber sports, it’s not something I would normally compete in,” Mr Gurr said. “Obviously with Covid it’s been a bit up in the air, but it is good to have the opportunity to come and compete and put your skills to the test.
“There has been a bit less on lately, any competition we get is pretty good.”