General News
17 October, 2025
Crowds flock to celebrate 137 years of the Warracknabeal Show
The Warracknabeal Show celebrated its 137th year with a vibrant display of community spirit, evident in the widespread smiles across the showgrounds on Thursday, October 9.
Warracknabeal A&P Society president Kirsty Keys said the whole day was filled with numerous highlights.
“It was just an awesome chance for the community to get together,” she said.
“I think the number of people that were there was up on the previous years, too.”
Mrs Keys said there was a focus on offering several free activities for the community.
“In this economic situation that we're all facing, if you take two or three kids to the show, after a ride and a show bag, there's not much left,” she said.
“We did our best to make it as affordable as possible to make it a little bit easier on some of the parents who may not have otherwise been there.
“We had free face painting and Balloonatic Bruce making animals for everyone.
Free activities on offer included Fun Farmed For You, Tiny Goats from Dimboola, as well as a toy-filled sand pit, virtual reality headsets and the Yarriambiack Shire Council's library van with interactive games.
The president noted there was no shortage of activities for the older patrons throughout the day, too.
“There was the Australian Sheaf Toss Association's national championships, which saw several competitors travel to Warracknabeal just for the titles,” Mrs Keys said.
“Sometimes people, especially farmers, can be isolated; the show is a chance for them to come into town, catch up with everybody they know.
“They can chat about the crops, go and have something to eat, and just finish off an awesome day.”
It was a great day for locals on the national stage, as Hayden Pollack won the novice handicap at his first attempt at the unique sport.
Meanwhile, Rachel Schultz claimed the women’s title and Ballarat-based Chad Peterkin won the open handicap and national championship.
Mrs Keys praised the ineffable work of the committee and community, whose support made this year’s show a resounding success.
“This is the first show that I've done as president, so I didn't know what to expect, but the whole community was amazing,” she said.
“The committee is fantastic. A lot of them have done 20-odd shows now, and they know exactly what they need to do.
“We needed to put a marquee up, and with one little phone call, everyone was there.
“We've got a committee meeting in November, and we are already planning basically now for next year.”