Get your free Courier Mail newspaper when you leave, because you don't want to carry it everywhere like I did. It does have handy lift out, but if you prepped online you won't need it.

Inexpensive Food

You can eat on a budget at the Ekka with $2 cheese toasties, $2 mini dogs and $5 mac and cheese. Although you might need to eat a few of these to fill up.

Be careful when selecting your dagwood dog as these are priced differently and vary in size. I'm still recovering from eating one last year.

Recommended lunch

My recommended lunch option would be the awarding winning meat tasting platter for $15 and add on a cone of original, sweet potato or beer-battered chips from the Chip Tease food truck in the Gourmet Plaza.

Stop by the Craft Beer Taphouse and try one of the great Australian craft beers served by Beer Matt in the Woolworths Pavilion. Wet your thirst with Baxter, Two Birds, Feral, 4Pines, Green Beacon, Balter and more.

Support a good cause

Buy a firefighter's calendar with irresistible puppy dogs for $20. They are also selling Christmas card packs with the money from both going towards the Children's Hospital Foundation.

The iconic strawberry sundaes are $5 with money going towards the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.

Spend your morning or afternoon tea at the CWA Tea Rooms. The profits from their Devonshire teas, sandwiches and drinks goes towards the CWA projects and community, including their Young Leaders program, running the CWA office, Public Rural Crisis Fund and other worthy causes.

Take a selfie:

With the firefighters

With the Ekka mascots

At the Brisbane Council stand where can you select your own backdrop

Do not take photographs of the art work or the photography on exhibition – it's not allowed and I got told off.

If you are taking a photo with someone else in it, it's always polite to ask if you can take a photograph first.

Random tips:

If you want to go on a quiet day and avoid the crowds, then the best day to go is the last Thursday.

Boycott the show bags. My Bertie Beatle show bag for $6 and came with four plastic bags. This is not good for the environment. Do you really want to cart home a bag full of plastic crap which you'll never use? Do your kids really need more plastic toys?

Don't forget the new area in the Old Museum which is housing the quilts, flowers and garden displays.

There's a learning trail flyer for children.

Further information:

Ekka 2016 – What's New

Ekka 2016 – Tips and Secrets

If you decide to go the Ekka this year, I hope you have a great time and please feel free to leave your tips in the comments section below.

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#brisbane_city
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125560 - 2023-06-13 02:34:47