Ekka 2011

[benclare]

Great review and I could feel the disappointment as I read. Should I bother visiting next week? I'll be in Adelaide this weekend but unfortunately much too early for their Show. If only it was a few weeks later!

Anyway, I quite liked the Disko but agree with you TG about it needing a longer ride cycle. Was Extreme popular? For some reason I thought it went backwards but it seems it doesn't. Keep the reviews coming!

[Steve07]

if its not any trouble would someone be able to post a ride lineup that is there at the EKKA this year??? thats if you have already been to it this year and know whats there in rides???

[Steve07]

also do any of you's know if anyone has jobs that only run when a show is on, cause im looking for a bit of work, and its only on when we have our show here in Gympie next year, i would really like some work, and know how things work and would love to be trained????

[Funderstruck]

Steve, Hurricane listed the lineup on the first page of this thread.

Ok day 2 over and I took my new camera in to take some pics, will post over the weekend.

I can officially say the worst Ekka I've been to in the last 29 years and hearing the same thing over and over from other people there too. I don't think I will be going back in this year which is a shame cause I look forward to it all year and usually pretty much live there for the 10 days.

When I left at 6pm there was 1 rider only on XXXL, 2 on Skywalker, noone on crazy coaster, 4 on Extreme, the longest line was at the train with heaps of disappointed people going home way before the fireworks.

[dell2006]

THATS NOT SOUNDING TOO GOOD AT ALL. HOPE THINGS GET A BIT BETTER!

[princess]

It is still early into the show, it is not school holidays, these could be a couple of reasons for the slowness, the major problem will be IMO, is people's financial status, is there any money left for families to go to the show? Everything else is perfect.

[Zamperla]

For a comparison of the changes of the ground with showbag hall check out these 2 images from the same spot overhead (also showing the underground traffic tunnels that run directly under the grounds):

Before: http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-27.449852,1 ... d=20100720

After: http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-27.449852,1 ... d=20110708

[Funderstruck]

Ekka is getting some bad comments and complains left on their Facebook page over the half assed job they have done/doing this year. They are deleting negitive and keeping all possitive comments, but they are coming thick and fast and don't think they cant keep up with the deletions.

[Zamperla]

is the showbag pavillion a moveable marquee? or is it on permanent foundations?

[Funderstruck]

Moveable but a massive job. Was put up a couple of months before the show.

[princess]

They have a movable pavillion in Sydney where the cruise ships come in to process the passengers it is massive, size of a football field, so they come in big sizes

[Top Gunner14]

Yeh Sydney show erects one for the cattle lawns and that one's a pretty big one. Yeh was reading those comments too funder, alot of people were complaining about how packed the showbag hall is. If they're whinging about that they should come to Sydney show's pavillion over the easter long weekend!

[Funderstruck]

Still though they are right it was a stupid decision to put the showbags (very popular) in Sideshow alley (also extremely popular) it just a disaster. Also with only 1 and a half lanes of sideshow alley you have all the people condensed in there that usually are spread out over twice the area.

[Zamperla]

It is very interesting reading the comments on EKKA's facebook page coming in thick and fast. A great deal of complaints are focused around the showbag pavillion:

Lorraine Tobin -Temporary showbag pavilion managed very poorly. What r you going to do about it RNA? 30 min. Wait to get in.
Yesterday at 15:47 via Facebook Mobile · Like ·

Ekka Hi Lorraine, we are experiencing very large crowds at the Ekka and we are working to make sure that everyone can access the showbag pavilion in a safe and timely manner.

Emilie Louise Hyland - I spent 3 hours in the showbag pavillion trying to get through all the people to get my showbags. Waited 20 mins at a counter waiting for someone to serve me!!

Arlene Henry - yes must agree this is why I am not golng to the ekka this year. I worked in the showbag pavillion for 8 years, I was shocked when I heard it was not opening this year. The RNA has all year to renovate, why wasnt it completed on time. The Ekka tradition is DEAD

Lorraine Tobin - EKKA. I am unsure what u mean when u say "large crowds". U have had large crowds for the 40+ years I have been attending. U knew the crowd nos. And u would have anticipated them this year. So, my question, that u avoided, was. "how do u intend to improve the situation?". And another question "why was the old pavilion pulled down before an appropriate one was built?

Lorraine Tobin - We were in the middle line for the showbags. (there r 3 lines). Outsides lines were allowed entry 2x the speed of the controlled middle line and the middle line only allowed 1/2 the amount of people thru that went thru on the outside entries as well. As I said EKKA, poorly managed and how do u intend to improve the situation?

Ekka Hi Arlene and Lorraine, thanks for your feedback. The 18 month regeneration project of the Industrial Pavilion is currently on schedule and the space will be open again for Ekka 2012. The Ekka works closely with government agencies to co-ordinate crowds during peak times in the Showbag pavilion, with patrons safety treated as our highest priority. We're sorry to hear your wait was longer than anticipated - the showbags are proving more popular than ever this year!
21 hours ago · Like

There were many positive remarks but majority seemed negative. A few comments of interest:

Stephen Ball
i bought a bertie beetle bag at the ekka, when I got home I went to eat a chocalate and it tasted bad and I had a look at the use by date and it was 3 months over it's use by date. every chocalate was pass its used by date.

Nikki Wilson
‎:( what a horrible day at the ekka! The show bags, the food, unless you wanted deep fried rubbish ready to give you a heart attack (no wonder obesity is killing us) you had to wait 40 minutes, The little farm animals was un organised mess and no one to look after them, You better get your act together because I heard that every one say they were not going back again next year!

Melissa Skeet
Just back from EKKA.. What a total waste of time and money.... Absolutely stupid organization!!. Have to line up [Yep line up] and wait up to an hr just to get showbags!!!. BIG LET DOWN..Certainly not the EKKA i remember!!.

Carleigh Neuendorf
Hi, i took my family to the Ekka yesterday and my son got the ACDC Showbag which he was really excited about but when we got home and he was able to look at it the shirt was not in there. He was very disappointed as this is what he really wanted. Not happy that i paid $25 and didnt get everything that was surpose to be in the bag. What to i do to make a complaint???

Tracey Beer Kruger
Ekka...why is it,that the coupons are useless in sideshow alley,everyone had notices up..saying they weren't accepting them...Grrr

Santina Schilling
My son bought the x-box showbag, and only got about half the items he was supposed too. Now I need to get back in to go back and get him a full showbag, but I am not paying for a ticket just to go in and out!! Ekka can you help?

Channelle Bennett
i cant wait to go this saturday (the last day) but i have heared that there are not many rides and bag are not good. like come on ekka what happened? we all want to know!

Tamika Minier
i have to say, i have only ever missed ekka twice since the day i was born. and this year was the most dissapointing. firstly the showbag pavilion was ALOT smaller, there wasnt as many rides, and the strawberry icecream was 50 times better before they changed the recipe this year. hopefully its better next year, or i will stop getting excited for it.

Kym Russell
NO Zipper & NO organic donuts! Ekka 2011 = fail

Judith Humberdross Where did everyone park? We arrived from Mackay only to find all the old parking spaces gone. Took 2hrs just to get out of the street that the parking was in. Ridiculous!!!!!! And what has happened to the huge ferris wheel - has it gone??? There didn't look to be that many different rides. We ended up turning around and going back to the motel - soooo frustrated and disappointed. 2hr parking everywhere - surely that frustrates you all??

TraceyDennis Mulheron
Went yesterday and was soooo disappointed with the "traditional "strawberry icecreams....tasted and felt like yoghurt with so much geletin in it to keep its shape. Revolting. Bring back the originals. Loved the foot long dagwood dogs thought...woohoo

Gary Tierney
I am disgusted with the condition of the dog obedience area. The area was crammed between a slippery slide on one side and a boat roller coaster on another. If that wasn't bad enough, not only were the conditions VERY cramped but everyone was confronted with cow poop all over the area!
All that could be done was to clean up as best as possible & cover with sawdust. NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
Hard enough trialing a dog at an ag show with all the smells & noises without virtually putting those smells & noises right into the ring!
A couple of your committee members gave a speech at the opening of the trial & one even stated how bad the conditions were so lets hope that he conveys his findings back to the RNA. One said that the public love to see the dogs perform, WELL in that case, give them an area were they can perform to the best of their abilities, not stuck virtually in sideshow alley!

[princess]

I cant believe how many people are complaining about the
Strawberry ice cream.

[Funderstruck]

You think that is bad, thats only the people on facebook......you should hear them on the grounds and on transport to and from. I went in this arvo cause I was going past and heard at least 20 people comment on how bad it is. This is a 15yr plan so its only going to get worse as far as I can see.

[HUSSRAINBOW]

Another "once great" Capital is biting the dust.... Could Sydney and Adelaide possibly be the only two decent capitals these days?

[Hurricane]

Went to the EKKA yesterday... and IMO It's one of the worst one's that i've ever been to... 30 minute waits for showbag pavilion...

I will say however that TPA's "Extreme" really is the new crown of the EKKA. It was an intense and very fun ride that I could re-ride constantly. It pulls plenty of G's, and is even enough to make your feet go numb. I'm heading in again this afternoon so i'll hopefully take some photos for you guys. But overall the atmosphere just isn't there anymore...

[kiwi]

Spent Friday & Saturday afternoon at the show, really enjoyed myself. Very strange with the large tent which definately made it different to my last visit. Also noticed the chaos in the Showbag hall on the Saturday afternoon. It was a highlight to have a good old stream train trip to the show from Downtown.

I hope the rides got busier as the day went on, most were only running half full Saturday afternoon. I also came across the Mega Drop sitting in a fuel stop on the way down from the Sunshine Coast.

[Steve07]

awesome photos there of EKKA, your a great photographer, im one of them when my show is on here, i love taking pics of rides and when they set up and stuff, and yeah i see theres alot of bad comments on the EKKA page, it looks bad and i was actually going to it but i decided to go to other country shows in QLD instead of going to the EKKA this year, i can tell you with all the Shows i went to i reckon they were all better then EKKA, but i wish i could of seen that Extreme ride at one of them but none of the shows i went to had it and that mega drop ride, do you know where it was heading to, was it EKKA or somewhere else, ive never seen it in racked on truck ever, looks very interesting how its teared down???, if any of yous can answer these questions it would be great for me..

Did Disco go to all the big shows up north past Bundaberg or did it go somethere esle before coming back to Brisbane??
Is that "Extreme Speed" ride the same as one i had at my show (Gympie) 2 years ago??? is there more then one Speed in Australia???

[Top Gunner14]

Great photos kiwi, glad to hear you enjoyed it. Interesting to see the layout this year I saw some comments on facebook saying that the area with the kids rides was well planned out. Did you get any more photos of the Jurrasic Coaster?

And I'm guessing that other Ghost Train is Lew Osborne's latest bit of gear?

[Hardrock]

Great photos Kiwi. They reckon today was the busiest day, so far.

[kiwi]

I did wonder whos the Ghost Train was. The Coaster wasn't in such a good place to take pictures.

[Top Gunner14]

Cheers for those other photos of the coaster kiwi. Was wondering where they had mounted the camera, good to see Michael up working up and fixing the camera haha. Still a bit more work to be done with themeing, should look good in the end

[Steve07]

i know i shouldnt chat about something else on this post but i just found out that a BIG wheel is set up at the Gympie Muster now, a few people said to me that there is a BIG wheel out there set up i think its Davis's one, the one that showed up at my show (Gympie) last May???