Like a beehive with two queens, the 2018 Rockhampton Show has split in two and half has buggered off to find fresh territory.  With the Show Society organisers and the Showmens Guild unable to sort out their ongoing disagreement over space, positioning and security, this year we have two different events competing for our showtime dollar: the local ag show at the showgrounds, and the visiting rides, monster trucks, showbags and spectacle at the Rocky Super Fair at Callaghan Park.

The Rocky Show have dropped their gate prices to $7 for everyone, and kids under five are free.  That means a family of two adults, a four year old and a six year old will save $29 on their usual entry fee.  (Exception is the solo bikes on Friday night, that's $10 each.)

So what's where?

Competitions and exhibits

All the usual show competitions are still there, from cattle to cardmaking to Nanna's pumpkin scones.  That includes:

• Apiculture
• Arts and Crafts (includes fine art, craft, cookery and cake decorating)
• Body Care Products (soap, bath bombs and similar goodies, including candles)
• Busted Hat (a knackered hat, and a story or poem about it)
• Caged Birds & Pigeons
• Cattle 
• Goats
• Dogs
• Floral Art
• Horses
• Horticulture (flowers, pot plants, and mini gardens)
• Photography
• Poultry & Water Fowl
• Produce
• Woodchopping

Entertainment at the Show

With most of the big rides, showbags and sideshow alley and quite a bit of the food over at the Super Fair, the Rocky Show's playing to their country roots and offering bush and heritage skills, displays and activities:

• Rocky Instincts (a local crew demonstrating and teaching early survival skills like firemaking, arrow head making and weaving)
• Bush poet Bob Pacey
• Camp oven cooking
• Wood turning and sausage making demos
• Petting zoo, farm animal and wildlife displays
• Pig racing
• Roaming stiltwalkers from First Light Entertainment
• Skydiving
• Sand sculpting with The Sandman Dennis Masoud
• Despicable Me minion show
• Fireworks 8pm Thurs & Fri
• Solo speedbikes Friday from 6pm
• Street Science interactive show
• V8 Utes
• Fashion parades
• School choirs & bands

Food at the Show

The travelling food vans won't be at the show, but there'll be various service clubs, church groups and the CWA, and commercial vendors with calamari, coffee, ice cream, Dutch pancakes, Thai, BBQ, fruit salad, pizza, kebabs, and potatoes twisted, baked, or turned into delicious chips.

Rides, Food & Showbags at Rocky Super Fair

All the visiting things that make the show the show, including the big rides, showbags, sideshow alley and visiting food vans, will be at Rocky Super Fair.  Entry is $2, plus $5 for parking.  As well as rides there's entertainment of the high-octane variety, including: 

• Monster truck show
• Hell raiser stunt show 
• Fireworks 
• $20 mill worth of large feature rides