Hobart Show draws big crowds

Organisers of the Royal Hobart Show are hailing this year's event a success, with more than 40,000 people attending.

The four-day event, which finished on Saturday, saw a rise in crowd numbers according to Phillip Le Grove, Chief Executive of the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania (RAST).

"The show's gone extremely well, the level of competition was strong and the entertainment program that we had was extremely popular," stated Le Grove, adding, "particularly the equestrian events.

"We had over 30% more than last year in our entries.

Le Grove says the perfect weather over the four days was a big help.

On the first day of the show, the volume of traffic meant show organisers needed to find more room for all the visitors' cars.

As the RAST's Peter Derkley explained, "as a precaution to ensure parking availability, we made an approach to the Tasmanian Racing Club, which kindly offered parking for 500 to 600 vehicles at the racecourse."

This year, the Hobart Show introduced premium parking for $10 a day near the Showground's main gate to cater to the volume of traffic. 

10th August 2009 - BUSY WEEKEND FOR BRISBANE EKKA