With almost a million people turning up to the Sydney Royal Easter Show this year there is no doubt the event is still a winner 200 years after a group of farmers first came up with the idea.
The show's general manager, Murray Wilton, said the legacy began with those farmers saying to each other "mine's better than yours".
"It was all about who had the best produce and who had the best livestock," he said.
The show is the most well-known product of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales, which is marking its bicentenary.
Today, there is still an emphasis on competition and winning a broad ribbon at Sydney Show can still have commercial benefits.
But Mr Wilton said with a growing interest in where food comes from, the show's role in educating the city about the country was more relevant than ever.
"Farming touches all of us almost every minute of the day and people want to know about that," he said.
Generations of tradition
The Wilson family of Tamworth have been dairy farmers since 1918 and the Sydney Royal Easter Show remains one of the biggest events on their calendar.
"That was our family holiday, going to the Sydney Royal," Todd Wilson said.
"I'm fifth generation and we've got kids coming through now."
Grandfather Lindsay Wilson, 81, still regularly helps with the milking.
At the show the Wilsons stay in the cattle shed, keeping a close eye on their cows and answering many questions from the public.
""There can sometimes be some negativity around the dairy industry," Todd said.
"But for us to be able to really showcase the care and love we have for them — yeah, that's quite good.
"We get a few curly ones … like, 'Do brown cows produce brown milk?' Which normally gets answered by, 'That means the pink cows produce strawberry milk.'"
New hats in the ring
The Royal Sydney Easter Show also has a focus on the next generation, with the Rural Achiever Award, Young Auctioneers and Young Judges programs.
The Young Judges program sees people assessed on their judging of various produce and animals.
Inverell's James Gilmour, 23, has been taking part in the Young Judges fleece competition for the last six years.
"You get to see your friends — over the years I've met a lot of people in the same fields as me," he said.
It is not just young industry players that are targeted — the All Roads Leads to the Royal competition aims to make the show more accessible for young people in regional areas.
This year it was won by students from the Lake Cargelligo High School in the NSW Central West.
Murray Wilton said the show was also important for the mental health of farmers, particularly after the last few years.
"You've got farmers coming together from all over Australia, in the show ring, they're fierce competitors," he said.
"But at night-time they're sitting down at the cattleman's bar, having a beer and talking about old times … and a lot of the problems they have in common."
