Fresh lemonade, chips on a stick and a VR experience – Easter fun at the Sydney Royal Easter Show
Written by Angelina Yalda, Education and Account Manager

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Easter in Sydney has a special kind of magic—the scent of hot chips, kids laughing on rides, and showbags bursting with giant toys. For so many of us, it all centers on one iconic tradition: a day out at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Running since 1823, the Show connects city life with rural Australia, thanks to the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW. It’s a chance to see where our food comes from and meet the people who produce it.
It had been years since my last visit (herding schoolkids through sheep-patting chaos!), so I was curious to see what had changed. Spoiler: a lot and all for the better.
Educational Pavilions – A playground of learning
The Educational Pavilions were a highlight. From the Farmyard Nursery to Little Hands on the Land and the Ag Discovery Pavilion, kids dive into hands-on farming fun. There’s seriously something for everyone.
But what really blew me away? The curriculum-linked Australian Good Meat Paddock-to-Plate VR Experience. Slap on a VR headset and suddenly you’re transported to a real working farm. City kids get to learn about how beef and lamb get from paddock to plate. It covers sustainability, animal welfare, modern supply chain practices, all of the different jobs involved and more– all in an immersive 360-degree setup. And I wasn’t the only keen one, I queued up with toddlers, teens and adults twice to try both the beef and lamb versions!
But the education doesn’t stop there. Meat & Livestock Australia’s Australian Good Meat Education program offers a suite of free, curriculum-aligned online resources for primary and high schools. We’re talking lesson plans, student activities, videos, posters, card games—you name it. Teaching expert content just got a whole lot easier.
And there’s more, teachers can even book their classes into a virtual excursion. MLA offers free virtual classroom sessions for both lower and upper primary students, where they can interact directly with real farmers and learn about life on the farm and the technology and innovation driving Australian farming.
Armed with my bag full of Australian Good Meat Education brochures, QR codes, and free goodies, I made my way over to the Farmyard Nursery, ready to pat a pig and see what the kids were up to.
A standout of the day? Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and their Australian Good Meat stand. With their immersive VR experiences and free, curriculum-linked resources, they’re doing a brilliant job of bringing the paddock-to-plate journey into classrooms across the country. Whether it’s beef, lamb, or goat, MLA helps students and teachers connect what they’re learning in school to the real-world workings of Australian agriculture. I’m already planning to sign up for their next Virtual Classroom session, and invite a farmer to speak to my class!
Armed with my showbag goodies and my chip on stick, I reflected on our day with a deep appreciation for what the Show offers. It’s more than showbags, gimmicky food and rides – it’s a bridge between the city and the bush, inspiring us to think more deeply about how our food is produced.
I know the next time we’re sitting at the dinner table, tucking into a hearty steak or lamb roast, we’ll take a moment to appreciate the hard work that’s gone into producing it.