The Ekka, or the Royal Queensland Show, is held every year in the middle of August at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane. This tradition has been alive for 130 years, albeit with different official names. The reason it is called “The Ekka” is probably because the show is an exhibition, and Australians really like to shorten any word with more than two syllables in it!
The closest thing I have ever seen in America to this humongous, 10-day long show is the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, where we have a huge carnival with plenty of food, games, and rides, along with livestock exhibitions and competitions. The Ekka, visible from the Inner City Bypass freeway and as far away from Mt. Coot-tha, has parades, equestrian, carnival rides & games, traditional foods as well as “international” foods, and other, more oddball things like woodchopping (which we sadly missed). Unfortunately, it costs to get in, which seemed a bit steep, since it was the same price as a ticket to the rodeo, but without any rodeo competition/country performers.
I have to say, I was more than a little sad when James told me he had too much uni work to go. It wouldn’t be much fun to go by myself—it’s definitely an experience best shared—but I refused to take him away from his work. So, I asked my friend Michelle in jest if she would like to go, and I was floored when she agreed! Apparently, after six years living in Brisbane, she had never gone, and plus, she thought it would be a great way to stop people from saying, “You’ve lived in Brisbane HOW LONG and you HAVEN’T BEEN TO THE EKKA?!”
We decided to go on the first Sunday of the Ekka and got there around 9.30, 30 minutes after opening, so we could beat the crowds. The crowds are obviously at their largest in the afternoon/evenings of the weekends, but also on Wednesday, when everyone in Brisbane and many people in the South East Queensland area get a public holiday in the form of “People’s Day.” This was definitely a good time to go, since by the time the crowds were really pouring in through the gates, we were exhausted and ready to go home.
Quick Tips:
The most important tip I can give you is bring enough money! Both Michelle and I were hit hard in the wallet because we wanted to have the “Full Ekka Experience”, since it was unlikely that neither of us would be visiting it again anytime soon. We both ran out of money at about the same time and proceeded to hunt for an ATM. Once we finally found a covered tent with a huge Bendigo Bank sign, we realized that one of the two machines was not working, and ended up having to wait 45 minutes in line to use the other one. The line really didn’t seem long enough to warrant 45 minutes of waiting, but we realized once we got to the machine that it was the slowest ATM ever created. Plus, neither of us were Bendigo Bank customers, so we both ended up paying fees for the money we withdrew. Therefore, I would definitely advise withdrawing - more than you possibly think you would need for the day, just in case.
Also, as I have mentioned above, there are definitely peak times for the Ekka. While some people might enjoy being part of a huge, frenzied crowd, I much preferred the beginning of our Ekka experience, where we could simply walk up to a vendor and buy food immediately. We could have done the same with rides and games as well. Later, there were much longer wait times for everything except the most expensive rides, like the ride that catapults you toward the earth at 5Gs.Best Way To Get Around:
The Ekka definitely has public transportation completely covered. There are two buses—the 500 that runs from the city centre and the 600 that runs from Windsor—that run very frequently to and from the RNA Showgrounds in Bowen Hills. However, if you aren’t already in the city or nearby suburbs, the train is probably your best bet.
There is actually a special train line that is used solely for the Ekka, called the “Exhibition” Line. I thought this was just a temporary line and station until James told me otherwise—there is actually a real station for the showgrounds. During the Ekka, trains leave Roma St every fifteen minutes and go in a loop around Roma St-Central-Brunswick St-Exhibition (the train does NOT go through Bowen Hills). Exhibition is in Zone 1 and there are no extra charges for this line, unlike the other special line, for the airport.
There are also special express trains that run along all lines. I’m not sure on the exact schedule, but on the Ipswich line it seemed that there was one every thirty minutes or so during peak Ekka attendance times. This train stopped every stop until Milton, and then skipped all the city stations and went straight to the Ekka.
I would definitely recommend public transport as opposed to parking at the site. I didn’t see much parking at all, and what little there was would be sold to you at a much higher premium than you would pay for the slightly longer and more crowded train ride. The only other option I can think of is what we did: Michelle’s husband dropped us off just outside the gates and then picked us up when we called. If you are doing this, just make sure you are ready to meet whoever is picking you up, because there is not much room for stopped cars on the side of the road here.