Held at the R.T. White Raceway, crowds flocked to the grounds for an array of rides, displays, demos and other attractions.

It was a positive sign for the annual event after it failed to get enough volunteers in 2019, nearly causing the Ararat Show Committee to cancel it entirely.

But this year the crowds were better than ever, and committee president Gwenda Allgood said "people came in droves."

"I can't believe it," she said.

"It's wonderful. We really need to have more displays in the big building but as far as people go, we're very grateful for everyone coming down and enjoying the day with us.

"It's been a beautiful day and we're so lucky to be part of the Ararat Show.

"The horses were marvellous again - they were a bit down (in terms of numbers) - but they're a huge part of the show.

"All in all this has been a great day."

Mrs Allgood thanked Ararat Rotary for its help, as well as Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green, who opened official proceedings.

However, Mrs Allgood said there was still work ahead to ensure the show's longevity.

"I think one of the things we need to do is we need younger people with younger ideas to come on board, and we always encourage that because we've got the bones there, we just need to put the meat on them.

"Today we've had suggestions of what we could do, like have a busking competition or something like that which would involve new people, so that's what we need to work towards next year.

"But we need the people to run it, because the more you add to a show, the more people you need to run it."

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