November 24th, 2023149th Daylesford Show – November 25

The first Daylesford Show was held in 1865 and, apart from interruptions for world wars and Covid in 2020 and 2021, has been held annually since then.

In order for our show to be sustainable into the future we need local input in the form of attendance at the show and entries in our many competitions. We aim to be a traditional agricultural show, with horse, sheep, poultry and dog competitions. There are also homecraft competitions including garden produce and flowers, cookery, arts and crafts as well as photography.

We also have the traditional sideshow alley with games, showbags and carnival food, plus some local vendors of wine, cider and food.

Thanks to our generous local sponsors and supporters in 2023 we are able to offer a range of special prizes and awards for both adults and juniors. There are no entry fees for juniors in the homecrafts and photography sections. There will be a sash and a special prize for the best junior exhibit; and there are a range of special awards and prizes in almost all sections of competitions.

We have engaged some special attractions for children (and adults) in the form of the petting zoo, Professor Wallace’s puppet show and the rescue ferrets group. There will be a number of special activities for children in and around the Tom Ford Pavilion, including a Show Quiz Wiz and various games and activities as well as novelty races. There will also be acoustic youth singers.

New in 2023 will be a face painter and pony rides for children (from 1pm-3pm) – all free activities. We will also have the Newport Bush Orchestra organising some called dances.

Our “Hall of Flowers”, the Table Tennis Pavilion, will again be organised by Daylesford Horticultural Society and the Friends of the Wombat Gardens and will include Spring Park Nursery and Vanessa Craven’s Lake Mist. Rijk Zwaan will have a colouring competition for children.

There will be a local spinner demonstrating her craft and the Sew Crazy quilting and sewing stall. A number of local organisations such as Seed Savers and Wombat Forestcare will be represented as well.
The grand raffle, with prizes gifted by local businesses, will be drawn at 2pm. Daylesford & District Agricultural Society president Don Harvey asks people to please remember that the Daylesford Agricultural Show is an entirely voluntary effort, staffed only by local volunteers.

Words: Mary Harvey, Daylesford & District Agricultural Society