On any given Sunday, a man wandering around carrying a canoe, a rabbit trap or a pitchfork would raise eyebrows, but not yesterday.
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Wagga Swap Meet is the exception to the rule with thousands converging at the showground with the common goal of finding hidden treasures.
More than 900 stalls touted items such as garden ornaments, jewellery, household items, furniture, road signs, surf boards, old sporting equipment, car parts, equestrian equipment and upcycled materials.
People carried their finds in trolleys wheeled behind them and wandered at their own leisure to ensure they did not miss anything.
Karen Ryder and her partner moved to Young from Adelaide recently to be closer to the show scene in New South Wales and Victoria.
She owns RPM Jewellery and makes unique pieces of jewellery shaped like automotive parts or classic cars.
She started the business a few years ago when she wanted to make her own piece based on her horse.
It became so popular that she branched into cars and started selling online.
“Horses you can always buy jewellery of but cars are a bit unusual,” she said.
“It’s that unique aspect, especially when it’s a one-off piece or that it’s Australian made.”
Wagga resident Janine Kenyon is ensuring a vinyl revival in her household and attended the Wagga Swap Meet to add to her collection.
“We have our favourite stalls,” she said.
Mrs Kenyon said she prefers to buy records at the swap meet because there is a risk of buying poor quality items online.
“Everything is tangible, you can check it out but it’s a gamble when you buy online,” she said.
Mrs Kenyon purchased 12 records at the swap meet for $4 each whereas she said she would easily pay more than $20 each online.
Mrs Kenyon has been attending the swap meet for seven years and said it is as much about the social networking and the atmosphere as the goodies she finds.
“On beautiful days like today, you could spend hours here,” she said.
Jim Bryant has been travelling from the Central Coast to attend the Wagga Swap Meet for the past decade to sell his recycled farm parts and furniture.
Mr Bryant makes unique garden sculptures from metal and scrap pieces that he finds at the previous year’s swap meet.
“To us, it’s a week away camping and you mix with people you’ve known for donkey’s years,” he said.
“It used to be to swap car parts but now it’s like an extra large garage sale.”
Mr Bryant said this is more than just an annual event, it is a lifestyle, and he follows other swap meets around the country.
