Reading the Rural Narrative: The Gympie District Show as a Space of Community

Abstract

Agricultural Shows are a much neglected, but important cultural event in rural and regional Australia. Very little analytic commentary contemplates the annual agricultural show and the most visible work on them has been focused on the large metropolitan shows or exhibitions of an international nature. Histories of regional shows have been written, but generally they are more like who's who catalogues of the local Show Society, whose livestock won Prize Bull in what year and lists of gate-takings.