Castle Hill Exhibition

The Castle Hill Exhibition is one of the standards of the Sydney Exhibition scene. It has been going for 27 years, I don't remember them all I just copied that off the program. For the last few years it has been held in the Harvey Lowe Pavilion at the Castle Hill Showground but I can remember when it was held in the hall on the former railway station site in the park opposite the shops. Although it was spread over various rooms it seemed to have more space but that may be my memory playing tricks.

It was held last weekend and this year I visited on the Sunday. What a mistake that was! The markets were on and parking was almost none existent. Usually it is a bit crowded but nothing like this.

The hall is well set out but is a bit small for a show of this type. The organisers need to find a larger venue. Some times it was almost impossible to see a layout and you could forget about photos unless you waited for a while and then grabbed your opportunity. Several large prams didn't help either, I felt sorry for a couple of elderly visitors who were trying to get around.

The layouts were of a generally high standard although I had seen most before. The highlight of Epping for me had been the O scale Wydale and here it was displayed with a second section that included a narrow gauge line in O16, a great layout now even better. The logging layout was very popular too.

The refreshment stall didn't seem very busy but had a reasonable range at usual prices.

My only complaint was that I couldn't spend money! The second hand stall had a couple of interesting items but as they didn't take credit cards I couldn't buy anything. I know credit cards are an expensive option for occasional use by a community group so I am not really complaining. If they had had something I couldn't live without I could have asked them to hold it and then gone to a machine somewhere.

When I arrived it was dull and foggy but by the time I left it was clear and sunny. I had traveled over with the heater on and I nearly needed the air conditioner on the way home as the sun coming through the screen was beautiful and warm.

Another enjoyable visit and a weekend that is looked forward to all year.