Echuca and Moama are twin towns that face each other across the Murray River, which forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Echuca is in Victoria and is promoted as a historical tourist destination that encapsulates bygone life on and around the river. It has living and static museums, and a small fleet of river boats that once transported passengers and freight (notably the W commodities - wheat and wool) through inland SA, Vic, NSW and perhaps as far as QLD - up the connecting Darling River.
The Echuca Moama Show is held over two days on (this year, on 11th and 12th of November), at the Echuca Showgrounds. It is a much larger exercise than the Heathcote Show that I went to on the previous Tuesday, with entertainment and fireworks on the Saturday evening.
I left Glen's bush block bright and early on Sat 11th, and had a pleasant 100km drive up the Northern Highway, with only a small number of numpty drivers out at that time of the morning. The Showgrounds were easy to find and because I was so early I found a parking spot about 30 metres from one of the gates. $10 entry with an indestructable fluoro wrist band and I was in business.
Just inside the gate was a very helpful signpost.
Very helpful, because to my knowledge there was no programme supplied as there was at the Heathcote Show.
As usual the horse competitions had started at sparrows'. Oddly (or perhaps not) I thought I recognised some of the hosses and riders from Heathcote.
Somewhat reminded of the Thelwell cartoons from 1950s onwards
As with the Kilmore Show, the horse competition rings were quite a distance from spectators, in the middle of a race track. At Heathcote there was no racetrack so the horses, riders and competitions were much more immediate and enjoyable.
So I turned away from the horse comps, knowing they would continue all day and likely into Sunday (wasn't sure, because I didn't have a programme), and wandered back towards the community area. There was a sponsored chainsaw carver just firing up.
I wandered back an hour or so later, and he had carved and stained a very convincing eagle. Or was it an owl? Whichever, it was fiercely realistic and would be a great addition to any child's bedroom! Or garden, where no doubt it would scare away the wrens and finches.
So I continued to the livestock area. There was a pair of draught horses and cart offering free rides ...
A shed for livestock competitions (dairy cows as I passed by) ...
The usual petting farm ...
And a pet lamb ...
The sheep in the back ground were waiting to be shorn by an older gent using hand shears like these ...
He said the tool was older than him, and he was 75.
Also in his seventies was a sleeper cutter, right next to the petting farm and shearing demo - demonstrating how rail sleepers were once cut from red gum hardwood ...
His story is on the signboard ...
I passed by again an hour later and he had completed two sides (of four) ...
His next step was to roll the log 90ยบ and complete the other two sides during the next hour, so he was cutting at about quarter the rate of the original cutters.
A few yards away from Doug was a display of stationary engines, also a regular feature of country shows, showing some early type of farm mechanisation ...
Much as I would have liked to watch the unmoving engines, I moved on to an exciting display of moving machinery! These gals and guys were just setting up ...
I believe many of them are truck drivers, and take their work home. Doesn't stop the driving behaviour ...
Across from the model trucks was a speedway display, again just being set up ...
And then just around the corner was the ute competition (static, not circle work - that happens at the Deni Ute Muster, annually in September, 80 km up the road).
Somewhere under the flags was a beastie 1990s HiLux. Look and weep, Paul!
In a nearby shed there were some stalls and face painting and crafty activities, and portable putt putt ...
The laughing clowns (Or in this case the laughing Mickies and Donalds) ...
And the big kids rides ...
By then the stomach was telling me it was time to feed so I looked for the Lions Club tent, but couldn't actually find any service clubs. Instead there was a local - Moama Pizzas - offering coffee and sizzle food. Off I went with the flat white and the egg & bacon roll. Nice flat white. Good idea having the roll instead of the bread (as provided by the Heathcote Lions) but I wasn't so keen on hte extra-smoked bacon in the roll. I think the bacon could have been very nice on a plate, but I suspect was out of place with egg on a sweet roll. All it was missing was the maple syrup.
Also by then my head was starting to feel the effects of leaving my hat behind in the caravan. The show was still very quiet and even though it was still morning my head was quite warm and I decided to make tracks rather than buy a hat and stay and wait for everything to get lively.
So an enjoyable morning at the Echuca Show, and a couple of lessons: (1) for a two-day show, especially one with entertainment and/or fireworks, it is probably better to arrive mid afternoon; and (2) take hat, every time. Maybe get an Akubra.
Until the next time ...
Be seeing you!
