Australian Equine Influenza Outbreak: Silence of the lambs as revheads steal show

IT'S a minute before midday and thousands are pouring into the Easter Show's main arena for the lunchtime entertainment.

Families from rural NSW traditionally come to Sydney for the show at the long weekend and the Akubras and Driza-Bones give the event an authentic country feel.
But they haven't come to see a quaint parade of carts and horses. When the arena gates swing open, four souped-up utes and six motocross bikes roar out - their screams matched only by those from the packed grandstand.
Country life has changed and so has Sydney's country show.
Petrol-powered thrills have all but taken over. The main live entertainment drawcards are a revhead's heaven.
The grand parade still draws a sellout crowd, but has been upstaged by Xtreme Korruption - a one-hour show starring the Toyota V6 HiLux Heroes, the Bouncin' Bobcats, an extreme motocross team and a motorcycle high-wire act.
And it doesn't stop there. Sharing a shed with the steers and fillies are a hotrod display, a classic cars and bikes show and mountain bike stunt riders.
"I think the animals are always the No. 1 drawcard, but we're very conscious of trying to provide a broad range of entertainment for every age group and interest," the show's chief executive officer, Peter King, said.
"They provide the exhilaration with the noise and the speed. We give people the chance to get as close to the cars as they're going to get."
With two- and four-wheeled entertainment becoming more and more popular, show organisers are seeking to balancing the event's environmental impact through a range of measures, including a carbon offset scheme.
About 4500 tonnes - or 97 per cent - of all waste from last year's show was recycled, reused or turned into green power, including 10,800 litres of cooking oil.
The show will also participate in Earth Hour on March 29. "We're very aware of our carbon footprint," Mr King said.