Organisers were "absolutely overwhelmed" by the huge crowd of people having fun at the Bullimbal School Spring Fair on Saturday, October 7.
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The event in Bicentennial Park kicked off a new annual tradition with something for everyone, from local market stalls showcasing handmade crafts to food vendors serving up hundreds of delicious treats.
"For our first of what will be an annual event, we weren't really sure what to expect, but the community involvement and the amount of people that showed up was just mind-blowing," Bullimbal School Parents and Citizens Association president Tim Simpson said.
He said the association anticipated about 2500 people to attend, but that number was dwarfed by the actual turnout.
"We estimate anywhere between 4000 to 6000 people showed up, which well exceeded our expectations," Mr Simpson said.
One of the highlights of the day was the children's fashion parade, where young ones dressed up as their favourite characters, transforming into superheroes, princesses, and more.
Though Mr Simpson said the kids were even more excited for the carnival rides, games, and showbags filled with surprises.
The P&C president said the event's success speaks to the community spirit of support for the special-needs school as well as the school's efforts to promote inclusivity.
"There's other events like this in town but for us it's important to make it as inclusive as possible and go that extra step with the characters we had and everything," he said.
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Mr Simpson also thanked the community for showing up and supporting Bullimbal.
"A big shoutout as well to all the volunteers we had helping us, and the stallholders as well, it was all their help which made it happen," he said.
Lastly he gave a big thanks to local movie buff Byron Phillips, whose baby dinosaur puppets 'Penny' and 'Bonnie' made their debut alongside the iconic 'Jurassic Jeep', bringing smiles to plenty of kids' faces.
Mr Philips' son, Anthony, is a student at Bullimbal and according to Mr Simpson the Jurassic enthusiast's insights from supporting parties and functions was invaluable when it came to organising the field day.
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