A bid by the organisers of Hamilton's Sheepvention to attract families has proved successful, with about 8000 people passing through the gates on Sunday.
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Sheepvention business and events manager Peta Anderson said a survey of people in attendance found a number had travelled from Ballarat and Horsham.
"We were really pleased," Ms Anderson said.
"There were lots of families who came along, which we had hoped for."
Ms Anderson said it was the first time Sheepvention had been held for three days, with the fashion parade kicking off proceedings on a Sunday night in years gone by.
"We've been really pleased," she said.
Ms Anderson said the committee was hoping to increase patronage to 25,000 this year, after 20,000 people attended in 2018.
She said accommodation in the town and surrounding areas was booked out, with a number of delegates staying in Port Fairy due to the lack of vacancies. "We run a service where we host people in local homes and that's booked out too," Ms Anderson said.
Ms Anderson said the producers pavilion, the home paddock and innovations hub had proved popular.
The fashion parade on Sunday was also well attended.
Southern Grampians Shire mayor Mary-Ann Brown was at Sheepvention on Tuesday and said it was a hive of activity. She said the event had a huge economic impact on the region and believed a number of people who had previously been unable to attend had attended on Sunday.
Sheepvention will conclude on Tuesday, with the ram sale kicking off at 10am and the farm dog championship finals at 1.30pm.
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