Ekka Showcases Australian Lifestyle
- 14 years ago
Farming life has been an important part of shaping Australian lifestyle. A showcase of this lifestyle is the Brisbane Exhibition. In true aussie fashion it has become known as the Ekka which is slang for exhibition. Our Brisbane correspondent brings us the story.
The smell of cattle in the air. With the sounds of excited screams ringing in the ears. This could only mean one thing. It is Ekka time again. The Ekka has been an important event on the Brisbane calender for over 100 years.
The first Ekka was held in 1876 and was attended by 17,000 people. This was a great success as there were only 22,000 people living in Brisbane. The Ekka is so important that it has it's own public holiday.
The ekka is a time for competition in events that showcase Australian life. The events include a lot of traditional competitions. Some of the traditional ones are the Harness competition. Which is judged by how well presented both horse and rider are. Show jumping is another horse event which is also an Olympic sport. Sheep dog trials are quite popular where the competitor controls the sheep by use of his dog. Whistling being the only way to command the sheepdog. Cattle are judged as well as being for sale.
Woodchopping is a sport with very serious competition and big prize money on offer. There are also many non physical competitions with fine arts being judged as well. These include photography, sculpturing and there are also cake making competitions. The Ekka is also the place to show new technologies and products with demonstrations in cooking and fashion.
There is also a less serious side to the Ekka with lot's of entertainment on offer. Whether you want to watch in awe the antics of the high flying motorbike stunts. Or the car crushing Monster Trucks. Whether you want to take a thrill ride in the side show alley. Then the Ekka has it all.
The Ekka has drawn to a close after 10 days but it went out with a bang. NTD Brisbane.
The smell of cattle in the air. With the sounds of excited screams ringing in the ears. This could only mean one thing. It is Ekka time again. The Ekka has been an important event on the Brisbane calender for over 100 years.
The first Ekka was held in 1876 and was attended by 17,000 people. This was a great success as there were only 22,000 people living in Brisbane. The Ekka is so important that it has it's own public holiday.
The ekka is a time for competition in events that showcase Australian life. The events include a lot of traditional competitions. Some of the traditional ones are the Harness competition. Which is judged by how well presented both horse and rider are. Show jumping is another horse event which is also an Olympic sport. Sheep dog trials are quite popular where the competitor controls the sheep by use of his dog. Whistling being the only way to command the sheepdog. Cattle are judged as well as being for sale.
Woodchopping is a sport with very serious competition and big prize money on offer. There are also many non physical competitions with fine arts being judged as well. These include photography, sculpturing and there are also cake making competitions. The Ekka is also the place to show new technologies and products with demonstrations in cooking and fashion.
There is also a less serious side to the Ekka with lot's of entertainment on offer. Whether you want to watch in awe the antics of the high flying motorbike stunts. Or the car crushing Monster Trucks. Whether you want to take a thrill ride in the side show alley. Then the Ekka has it all.
The Ekka has drawn to a close after 10 days but it went out with a bang. NTD Brisbane.