It is a bush tradition, a much loved social event and a place of good-natured competition. But in Queensland there are warnings that country shows are under threat from a State Government plan to amalgamate some rural shires.
A monastery in southern New South Wales is leading the way in sustainable farming. The monks and nuns of St Clements near Yass were inspired by Pope John Paul II who urged Catholics to take better care of the environment in an effort to avoid "ecological catastrophe".