IT'S time for hands-on fun at the Royal Melbourne Show. This guide tells you where and when you can see it.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

Horses: 9.30am, Clydesdales, light harness; 1pm, Clydesdales, light harness.

Dairy: 9.30am, Kubota Dairy Youth Classic.

Sheep: from 9.30am, White Suffolk Feature Show, Dorper, South Suffolk, Romney, Suffolk, Dorset Down, Hampshire Down, Ryeland, Dorset Horn.

Victoria Police woodchop day: 11am.

Dairy: 1pm, Holstein,  Jersey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss and Guernsey.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

Dairy: from 9.30am, Holstein, Jersey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss and Guernsey.

Sheep: from 9.30am, National Poll Dorset Show, Border Leicester, English Leicester, Lincoln, black and coloured, Southdown.

Horses in Action: 9.30am, light harness, tradesman and delivery; 3pm, showjumping; 7.15pm, harness parade.

Dairy: 2pm interbreed.

Woodchop finals: 3.10pm  to 5.10pm.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

Horses: 9.30am,  Clydesdales, light harness; 1pm, Clydesdales, light harness; 3.15pm, showjumping; 7.15pm, World Cup—course walk; 7.30pm, World Cup.Goats: from 9.30am, Boer, Dairy and Angora.Woodchop finals: noon to 6.15pm.

Sheep: 4pm, ASSBA interbreed competition


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

Horses in Action: 9.30am, Australian stock horses and showjumping, 1pm, showjumping, 7pm, showjumping—open six bar.

Sheep: 11am, interbreed.

Woodchop finals: 11.50am to 4.55pm; 2pm, Australia versus New Zealand Test series, First Test.


MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

Horses in Action: 9.30am,  Australian stock horses, hunting on the flat; 11.15am, junior riding; 1pm, Australian stock horses; 3.30pm, hunting; 7.15pm, Alistair Irving champion working stock horse.

Woodchop finals: 11.55am  to 5.30pm.

Cattle: 1pm, school steer and heifer paraders competition.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

Horses In Action: 9.30am, saddle ponies and junior turnouts; 1pm, saddle ponies and junior turnouts; 2pm, hunting; 4pm, fancy dress competition; 4.30pm, horse parade; 5pm, novice show hunter ponies; 7.15pm, Australian Carriage Driving Society: horse carriage driving demonstration.

Beef Cattle: 10am, Borthwick Trophy and open led steer and heifer competition.

Woodchop finals: 11.45am to 5.30pm.


WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Beef cattle: 9.30am,

Australian Lowline, Brahman, Brangus, Charbray, Dexter, Limousin, Pinzgauer, Red Angus and Santa Gertrudis; 1.30pm, Bos Indicus interbreed; 2pm, small breeds interbreed.

Horses In Action: 9.30am, saddle ponies; 1pm, saddle ponies; 2pm, show hunter ponies; 7.15pm Shetland steeplechase.

Woodchop finals: 12.30pm to 4.45pm.


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

Beef cattle: breed judging from 9.30am, Welsh Black, Angus, Belted Galloway, Belgian Blue, Charolais, Galloway, Highland, Red Poll, Salers, South Devon and Square Meaters.

Horses in Action: 10am, sporting horse events; 1pm, sporting horse events; 7.30pm, sporting horse events—open championship bend.

Alpacas: 10am, Suri.

Woodchop finals: 12.50pm to 4.55pm; 2pm, Australia versus New Zealand Woodchop Test series, Third Test.


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Beef cattle: breed judging from 9.30am, Australian Shorthorn, Beef Shorthorn, Dairy Shorthorn, Hereford, Murray Grey, Poll Hereford and Shorthorn. 3pm, parade of champions.

Horses In Action: 9.30am, Garryowen equestrian turnout; 1pm, J Pemberton equestrian turnout; 2.15pm, KG Luke equestrian turnout; 2.30pm, intermediate riding; 4pm, gentlemen rider.

Woodchop finals: 11.25am to 5.45pm.


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Horses in Action: 9.30am, Saddle Galloway, saddle horse and show hunters, Esquire Equestrian turnout; 1pm, show hunters; 2.30pm, John Lithgow equestrian turnout; 3.45pm, lady rider; 7.15pm, Friesian horse demonstration: warhorse of the past, sporthorse of the future.

Beef cattle: 10am, Simmental; 11am, Stud Beef Victoria beef paraders competition; noon, parade of champions.

Alpacas: 12.30pm, Huacaya.


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

Horses: 9.30am, saddle  Galloway, saddle horse and show hunters; 1pm, The Col A V Pope Cup; 2.45pm, Champion saddle horse.

Alpacas: 10am, Huacaya.

Beef cattle: 11am, all  breeds beef interbreed.

DAILY EVENTS

Art, craft and cookery pavilion, 9.30am-8pm daily.

A world of creativity and colour including exhibits of art, photography, decorated cakes, new media, junior and school competitions, craft and millinery.

Woodchop pavilion, 10.30am-5pm daily.

Catch all the live axe-wielding excitement as Australia's best axe-men battle it out.

Grand pavilion, 9.30am-9pm daily.

The show's home of food, wine and produce which, for the first time, features the great tasting trail.

The Weekly Times livestock pavilion, 9.30am-8pm daily.

The agricultural centre of the show, spread across 10,000 sq m and home to more than 2000 animals.

Horse precinct, 9.30am-8.30pm daily.

Horses are back this year, with competitions featuring each day in the arena.

Poultry pavilion, 9.30am-8pm daily to September 23,

and 9.30am-2pm September 24.

Meet any array of feathered friends, watch a chook-washing demonstration or see a chicken hatch.

Alpacas in the poultry pavilion, 9.30am-8pm September 25-28.

Poultry makes way for alpacas when about 200 alpacas take over the pavilion for the final four days.

NAB animal nursery discovery farm, 9.30am-8pm daily.

First-hand encounters with many animals such as pups, rabbits and emus.

NAB animal nursery lawn, 9.30am-5.30pm daily.

Goats, sheep, alpacas and ducks will be on display to give children an insight into life on the farm.

  • V/LINE passengers with tickets for the Royal Melbourne Show are entitled to travel economy off-peak from anywhere in regional Victoria for no more than $12 return.

The V/Line Royal Show ticket includes free metropolitan travel on trains, trams and buses to and from the show.