Holiday Fun - Royal Melbourne Show

Whoosh, that's how time felt when you're having fun. The school holidays came and we started by going to the Royal Melbourne Show last Tuesday. Then the next day, it was a 5-hour drive to Mount Hotam for a 6-day ski holiday. We've only just gotten back to normal life and as I catch my breath, I'll blog about the Royal Melbourne Show first.

I've heard about the Royal Melbourne Show when I first came here but have not the slightest idea what it's about. First discovery: It's not a circus show. The Royal Melbourne Show, despite its fanciful name, is actually just a huge carnival. There seems to be animal rides, showbags and lots of fun for kiddos. The chance came for us to go this year when Hubby's company sponsored an animal nursery at the show and he was recruited (involuntary) as one of the 'volunteers'. With it came an extra complimentary ticket and a '2 for 1' voucher, so we decided to bring the kids along and follow him there.

Second discovery: I thought that with the entry ticket, everything there would be included, much like the theme parks. Thus I didn't prepare much cash along. Turned out, the entry ticket is just for ENTRY. Well, there were some free entertainment, like the Animal Nursery and some performances, but all of the kiddy rides and games there cost money. Great thing they had ATMs there.

Sure enough, money can buy lots of fun. While Hubby 'worked' at the animal nursery, I brought the boys around, buying food, rides, entertainment and showbags for them. They had a great time choosing their showbags.

Third discovery: Showbags are basically goodie bags and they are not free! There is a whole pavilion dedicated to it and it is a big money making business. Inside the pavilion are dozens of stalls displaying all sorts of candy/chocolate (Cabury, M&Ms, Hubba Bubba etc) combos in plastic bags for you to buy. Some of them also include a small toy and the more expensive ones comes in a real backpack. The prices range from $3 to $25 each. It's a dentist's nightmare and I normally don't encourage candies but with everyone walking around holding multiple showbags, it would be hard to get through the day if I don't give them any. So I gave KK a budget of $15 and in the end, with my careful guidance, I managed to spend only $15 to get 3 showbags and a long marshmellow to satisfy both of them. As expected, the kids just like to have the thrill of getting a showbag and the toy inside. Most of the candies are still untouched.

We managed to last till 5pm when Hubby's duty is over. By then, the boys were exhausted but they both enjoyed themselves so much. I lost track of how much I'd spent that day. Much better not to think too much. Like Hubby's advice, we probably won't go to the Royal Melbourne Show every year, so this is a once in a long long time kind of extravagance.