The new venue is expected to be a popular choice with show-goers providing plenty of space and more modern facilities for the agricultural and entertainment aspects of the show, according to Greg Townsend, president of the Tamworth Pastoral and Agricultural Association.

“The new venue, a new date (August 31 to September 1) and a new committee was announced at the end of 2017,” said Mr Watson. “It is hoped the dramatic changes to the 2018 Tamworth Show will result in bigger crowds and rejuvenate agricultural education in the area.”

And while the ongoing drought in the region has had an impact on some categories at the show, others are “back with a bang”, said Mr Townsend.

The long-awaited move is expected to breathe new life into the show, which has been running for more than 146 years.

“This is the best state-of-the-art facility that Australia’s got,” Mr Townsend said. “The 2018 show is coming together very well.

“With a new site comes new challenges and we won’t be getting everything right the first year but we are planning on getting everything moving forward in the right direction. This year’s show will be a lot more cleaner and greener and generally a lot more appealing to visitors.”

There will be no price rise for gate entry at this year’s show, despite moving to the new venue, but Mr Townsend said becoming a member of the show society was still “the best value for money”.

“It will be a great value weekend for families with so much entertainment including comical camel races, the wood chop, local artists entertaining people, the pavilions will be set up around the concourse of the indoor arena and of course fireworks will be on both nights,’ he said.

“New venue, new dynamics - everything will be closer together and a bit more personalised than in previous years. AELEC is set up for events like this and our change of venue represents a new era of agricultural shows in New South Wales.

“The drought has only had a small impact on the show as people still want to get out to their local show and show off their livestock. It has probably had more of an impact on volunteer numbers as people are too busy feeding livestock and don’t have a lot of spare time to help out.”

Mr Townsend said they were expecting large crowds at this year’s show, which will coincide with AELEC’s tenth birthday.

“The move has always been on the cards but now it is so close it is daunting but very exciting,” he said. Visit the Tamworth Show facebook page.