Gold Coast City are about to celebrate all creatures, large and small, with the 12th annual Gold Coast Pet and Animal Expo kicking off October 4 and 5 2014, in Varsity Lakes.
A huge weekend of entertainment, education, displays, demonstrations, new products, activities and exhibitors, the expo promises to provide something for everyone.
There’ll be an ‘Into the wild’ display, featuring turtles, lizards, frogs, snakes, birds, mammals and all the information about animals in the Australian wildlife, including tips on conservation and protection, feral and pest animals and animal adventures and wildlife parks.
The Curious Critters display promises to help you think outside the box when it comes to family pets and the Farmyard will offer hands-on experience with farm animals, including sheep shearing displays, pony rides, baby animal nursery, farm animal rescue and a good old game of guess the weight of the bull.
Famous faces will adorn the expo, with the chance to get up close and personal with special guests Fabulous Wild Life presenter and Zoologist Chris Humfrey, former Big Brother contestant and dedicated dog lover Farmer Dave, as well as one of Australia’s best Animal Communicator and Medium’s, Amanda De Warren.
Pop-up concerts, magic shows, three-ring circus acts, tunes from local teen vocalist Morgan Kingi and game shows are just some of the fun and fabulous entertainment on offer, all contributing to the carnival-like atmosphere of this awesome Varsity Lakes event.
There’ll be pooches a-plenty, with the expo hosting the Queensland State Flyball Championships, as well as the National Dock Dog Championships. There’s even a designated space for your family pup to play with other Gold Coast City dogs in an off-leash area.
A huge exhibition area with over 160 stalls will showcase pet products, animal wares and more, offering the latest and greatest in animal goods and services.
According to Division 11 Councillor Jan Grew, this weekend’s community event is the only Queensland animal-related expo that is free to attend for all the members of your family, including your prized pet.
“This has become the largest pet expo in Australia and because it’s free to the public and people can bring their pets, it has become a quite unique event. People who attend tell me that they love it and will go every year because they get to see so many different animals and enjoy all the activities, guest speakers, the Dock Diving Championships and especially the wonderful animals from the Australian Outback Spectacular” Councillor Grew said.
“This year we will have many different types of pets at the expo, not just dogs and cats but crawly critters, reptiles and much more. We anticipate that residents will bring their favourite pets as they did in previous years; these included pigs, snakes, lizards, birds, guinea pigs and many more.”
“We are expecting around 30,000 people to attend over the weekend. This event always attracts a huge crowd of people and their pets. Last year we had people from Northern NSW, Sydney, Victoria, Brisbane, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast, North Burnett and lots from the Gold Coast.”
“As we are located just off the shopping precinct on Varsity Parade, we anticipate that many people who walk to the event from the Varsity area will utilise the shops and food outlets.”
Being just a short 5 minute drive from CBDRobina, this weekend’s expo can be accessed with ease for locals and the rest of Gold Coast City.
From 9am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday, Varsity Lakes will be transformed into Gold Coast City’s very own animal kingdom – it’ll be fun for all the family, so step out for the Gold Coast City Pet and Animal Expo this weekend.
All the details can be found here
