Agricultural
17 April, 2026
Western Districts winners after 37 years
The District Exhibit Competition is an iconic part of The Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Contributed
Commonly known for their large artistic displays of fruit and vegetables, these are the largest displays of their kind in the world.
But behind the scenes, all of the produce used in the display is judged in its own quality competition.
More than 80 different classes of produce are all prepared and judged in their individual classes in the week prior to the show opening to the public.
For the first time in 37 years, the Western NSW District Exhibit has won the overall competition.
The Western Districts' area extends from the Hawkesbury valley and Bilpin in western Sydney, across to West Wyalong and Broken Hill in the west and then from Bourke to Baradine in the north across to Mudgee and back to Sydney.
A small team of volunteers spend 12 months of the year accumulating various products including cotton, sorghum, grain, wine, wool, grasses, jams, and fresh produce as they come into season. A significant portion of this produce comes from the Gilgandra area.
This year, farmers in the Gilgandra area have contributed wheat and various grain samples, sorghum heads, clovers, grasses, baled hay, chaff, merino wool, and even bottled olives and honey.
A couple special mentions include, Rowan and Andrew Chandler, who won three blue ribbons in the chaff section as well as the best bale of wheaten hay, and Alan Smith, who picked up a blue ribbon in the other herbage section with a sample of Kurrajong.
This year's design revolved around the use of solar power on farms. This was designed by Trudi Voorwinden. The design placed second in the competition.
A big thank you to all of those contributors who have been part of the success this year.
