Royal Easter Show Flashback: 2001 (Part II)

This is part two in our Royal Easter Show Flashback, focusing on 2001. Last week, I posted admission prices, transport arrangement and showbag advertisements.

This week, I share several newspaper clippings focusing on the Easter Show itself. 

Opening Day - Friday April 6

Source: Banham, C. 2001. "Show's opening brings out all creatures small and great". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 7: 1. 

By 5 pm, 25,886 had attended the first day of the show, which was just over half of the previous year's opening-day attendance. In 2001, the Easter Show began one week before the start of the school holidays, whereas the previous year, the first day of the show coincided with the last day of Term 1 for school students. 

In the main arena, crowds were entertained by Bluey, "the helicopter who thinks he's a sheep dog". There would be lunchtime and evening performances.

25 years later, we have Bluey the sheep dog who has his own TV show and is loved by kids around the world, and yes, you can even get a Bluey Showbag.

The Sun Herald captured the first day of the opening weekend in a full-page feature on April 8 2001.

Source: Smyth, T. 2001."Hardly a no-Show". The Sun Herald, April 8: 9.

Official Opening - Wednesday April 11

The 2001 Royal Easter Show was officially opened by Governor General Sir William Deane and was followed by the first Grand Parade, where 1000 of the finest livestock were paraded in the Main Arena

Good Friday - April 13

Traditionally, it's the busiest day of the show. 140,000 made the trek on the first day of the Easter Long Weekend, and it was the busiest day for Sydney Olympic Park since the Olympic Games held several months earlier.

Ticket limits are in place for each day of the show in 2026, so we will not see crowds like this again on Good Friday. That is why tickets must be bought for a specific day. 

Source: Jackson, A. 2001. "Show stopper: 140,000 drop in to say howdy". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 14: 1.

Easter Saturday - April 14

Another bumper crowd through the turnstiles

Source: Smyth, T. 2001. "A once a year, 'only at the Show' time". The Sun Herald, April 15: 9. 

On April 20, The Sydney Morning Herald posted a photospread in its main news section, along with a summary of the show

Source: Dennis, A. 2001. "Thanks a million for coming folks, and it'll be even bigger next year". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 20: 8. 

• Around 1.05 million attended the Royal Easter Show in 2001
• 16500 animals were exhibited
• 149 000 Dagwood Dogs were sold
• 400 cups of coffee were sold
• 500 children were lost, then found

Planning had already begun for 2002. There were plans to expand it onto Olympic Boulevard (they followed through) and to improve parking accessibility for those who elected to drive. Concerns about pre-booked parking may have deterred some.

Related Entry

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 2001 (Part I)

Property Advert of the Week: Captain Cook Towers, Brighton-Le-Sands (1971)

Below is a 1971 newspaper advertisement for Captain Cook Towers, located on The Grand Parade at Brighton-Le-Sands.

Two bedroom apartments were eon offer from $22 000 and three bedroom apartments from $35 000. This is equivalent to $303 000 and $481 500 in todays money as based on the RBA Inflation Calculator.

 

Source: J. R. Baker Pty. Ltd. & Whiteman's Real Estate Co. 1971. "Captain Cook Towers" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, June 12: 42.

Royal Easter Show Flashback: 2001 (Part I)

Next week marks the start of the annual Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park. The year of focus is 2000 and will be presented in two entries.

This week, I will focus on key facts and the showbags.

Date:         April 6-19, 2001

The Easter Show ran for 14 days (Down from 16 days in 2000) and it will run for 12 days in 2026. 

Theme: The Great Australian Muster

Admission

Show Only entry ticket prices increased by $3 for adults and $2 for children. This was also the first show where the GST (10%) had been charged, being introduced on July 1, 2000, and would have attributed for much of the increase.

Adults: - $20
Concesions (Tertiary Students and Pensioners) - $15.50

Children: - $11.50

Showlink tickets were also available and could be pre-purchased at train stations for use on any one day of the show, including show buses. Prices below were for the Sydney Suburban Area with higher prices for those in the outer metropolitan area.

Adults: - $25.50
Tertiary Students - $18.50

Children: - $14.50

In 2026, ticket options are broader, but at the time of preparing this entry general prices were not listed:

Only early bird prices are listed

Adults - $ 48.00 

Concession - $36 

Child - $29.50 

PWD - $29.50 

Tickets in 2026 include free return travel on public transport on the day of the visit, and the date of the visit must be pre-booked. In 2026, it has broken down ticket purchases further where you have to locate the date and the type of ticket you want given each day has multiple options.

Source: NSW Department of Transport. 2001. "The only way to go to the Royal Easter Show" (Advertisement). The Sun Herald Official Sydney Royal Easter Show Magazine, April 1: 8. 

Showbags

All showbag advertisements were sourced from "The Sun Herald Official Sydney Royal Easter Show Magazine" published on April 1, 2001.

In 2001, Showbags ranged from $2 to $18.50. A total of 260 showboats were on offer. In 2026, 418 showbags are on offer.

Coca Cola

A constant best seller at the time. The backpack also kept up with the trends.

Pepsi

Like Coca Cola, they offered the sling bag or body bag as they called it but for just $12.00.

2Day FM

Followed Coca Cola and Pepsi with their own bodybag or slingbag. It included two mugs, one for each of the Morning Crew members, Wendy Harmer and Peter Moon.

Triple M

They offered an "Extra Large" backpack for those who wanted a traditional backpack as opposed to the slingbag or bodybag on offer from its competitors. 

Nestle

Bertie Beetle Showbags were just $2. 2001 also marked the debut of the Wonka Showbag.

 

Bensons

The traditional (and best-selling) Cadbury Showbag was just $6. In 2026, still the same price but a victim of shrinkflation, i.e. focus on bite-sized bars as opposed to full-size.

Gag Magic

The showbag retailed for $8 in 2001. In 2026 it is $20 but you get $89.90 worth of goodies.

Extended Sampling

A Little Luxury was a bestseller in its time and sadly no longer is sold at the show. In 2026, Girlfriend and Men's Health Magazines are still in print, but no showbags on offer. 

Mega Showbags

New Concept

They sold Mars-branded showbags plus themed showbags from television shows and films.

Next week, I will post a selection of newspaper clippings from the 2001 Royal Easter Show.

Property Advert of the Week: Merimbah, Hunters Hill (1986)

In 1984, the Hunters Hill property 'Merimbah', built in 1864, was converted into an eight-unit complex. One, two and three-bedroom apartments were available. 

Source: J.L. Manning Marketing Pty. Ltd. 1986. "'Merimbah' 1864" (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, February 1: 5. 

1969: The Chairlift debuts at the Sydney Showgrounds

At the former Sydney Showgrounds site at Moore Park, those attending the Easter Show had the option of moving across the showgrounds by either Chairlift or gondola and not needing to worry about navigating through the hordes below. 

The chairlift was first used for the Royal Easter Show in 1969, and remained there until the final show at Moore Park in 1997.

It was also the first horizontal chairlift to be installed in Australia

 

Source: Anon. 1969. "Exciting "Lift" for Royal". The Sun, March 12: 25. 

Leading into the Royal Easter Show on April 2, I will post two entries on the Royal Easter Show focusing on 2001. This will take us through the next two Mondays. 

Property Advert of the Week: Zenith Apartments (2003)

In our main entry this week, I shared a newspaper advertisement associated with the opening of the Boulevard Hotel on William Street in 1973. 

The Boulevard Hotel continues to operate to this very day. Another hotel, located at the top of William Street, also opened in the 1970s. 

The hotel, known as Kingsgate and later the Hyatt Kingsgate, Hyatt and Millennium, opened in 1971. It operated until 2003, when it was closed to be converted into the Zenith Apartments, which were completed in 2005. 

Below is a 2003 newspaper advertisement promoting the sale of apartments, which commenced prior to their conversion into apartments.

 

Source: Jones Lang LaSalle. 2003. "Zenith" (Advertisement). The Sunday Telegraph, April 5: 19 (Homeowner liftout). 

1973: Boulevard Hotel Opening

The Boulevard Hotel on William Street was opened in 1973. At the time of opening, it was one of the leading hotels to stay in Sydney, despite being on the fringe of the Sydney CBD. At the time of opening, it had a five-star rating and, for years, attracted celebrities and "A"- listers in search of a Sydney abode. 

Famous guests who have stayed at the hotel include Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, Sammy Davis Jr., and John Wayne. 

Below is a newspaper advertisement from the time of opening in 1973. It was reported to have opened in late April, but I could not find any items confirming a fixed opening date.

Source: The Boulevard Hotel. 1973. "The Boulevard. Sydney's new international hotel" (Advertisement). The Wentworth Courier, June 27: 25.

The Boulevard Hotel, five decades later, is no longer a five-star hotel and is currently a four-star hotel, managed by ACCOR. The swimming pool, once available to guests, has since been removed, and Level 25 has been converted to a function room.

Property Advert of the Week: Hooker Housing Group Home Display Centre Ad (1988)

Below is a 1988 newspaper advertisement by the Hooker Housing Group promoting their Home Display Centres at Prospect, Casula and Castle Hill.

 

Source: Hooker Housing Group. "Your first step to a richer family life" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, March 5: 15. 

1960: State Government "Declares" 5 Historic Homes

Source: Anon. 1960. "These historic homes will be preserved". The Daily Telegraph, August 5: 12. 

In 1960, the NSW Government declared five colonial homes as "places of historic interest". This would ensure that the buildings would be preserved and would be a forerunner to their eventual inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register

 

Source: Anon. 1960. "Govt. "Declares" 5 Historic Homes". The Daily Telegraph, August 4: 7. 

Inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register

The Heritage Act, 1977 (NSW) led to the creation of the NSW State Heritage Register, which oversees the protection of items identified as historically, culturally or architecturally significant. To obtain a state-level heritage listing, it would need to be heritage-listed at a local (i.e., council) level before moving to regional listing. If listed at the regional level, it may be considered for heritage listing at the state level.

The five buildings listed in 1960 were added to the State Heritage Register in 1999.