Behind closed barn doors: when the Ekka's cuddliest stars clock off

7NEWS

a day ago

As the sun sets over the Ekka's iconic RNA showgrounds in Brisbane, a different kind of hustle begins behind the scenes of one of the Royal Queensland Show's most beloved attractions, the Animal Nursery.
While show rides roar, showbags rustle and the scent of dagwood dogs drifts into the evening air, there are 350 tiny, fluffy and feathered friends preparing for bed.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
From curious baby goats to squeaky piglets, puppies, alpacas and even a Highland cow named Ginty, the barnyard cast wraps up another day of cuddles, curiosity, and camera flashes.
And lucky for 7news.com.au, James Kemp — the man who has behind the nursery for the past 27 years — let us in on the bedtime routine of the secret stars of the Ekka.
Herding goats, chasing chickens, and puppies on the loose
Every day at 5.30pm sharp, little lambs and sheep start trotting to the big barn doors on the side of the public area.
'They know exactly when it's bedtime,' James said.
'Most of them,' he added with a laugh, as staff gently shuffle a few latecomers from their public pens into their night shelters.
'All the sheep, goats, and other animals in the main yard, which are most exposed to the public, go into one pen.
'It's a night pen where they sleep and get fed again if they need it.
'There's water out there. It's nice and quiet. They get away from some of the noise.'
Adorable newborns in tow, they are ushered into the barn by James and his crew of 12.
'The little baby ones in here that are six to eight weeks old, they're learning how to be the next generation to come through,' James explains.
Once inside, they lie down, ready to fall asleep after a long day — except one.
A mischievous goat can be seen stretching far up over the fence to reach for some hay, apparently still hungry from a big day.
In the meantime, chickens — some more co-operative than others — are herded into their night quarters.
One particularly cheeky, fluffy chook gave staff a run for their money, with six or seven people chasing her down before she finally rejoined her feathered gang.
Animals that spent the day in smaller pens are then let out to burn off some energy.
They get to run around in the main area where the sheep and goats were earlier.
'They're not let out all together — it's a controlled process — but they love it,' James told 7news.com.au.
First, it's the puppies' turn, followed by the alpacas.
'They all get let out for a good zoom around,' James laughed.
Good night, sleep tight
Once their little legs had a good stretch, puppies, miniature horses, alpacas, llamas and donkeys wind down.
Asked if James says goodnight to the animals each night, James chuckled. 'Yeah ... but not on camera!'
It's clear the bond between farmer and farmyard runs deep.
James started his nursery nearly three decades ago to connect city kids and grown-ups to the farm life.
'In the early days, we read in Queensland Country Life that one in ten Brisbane kids had never even patted a dog,' James recalled.
'We knew something had to change.
'We're here to educate, not just the kids, but the adults too.
'You'd be surprised how many people don't know the difference between a llama and an alpaca or that a horse isn't a cow.'
In one memorable moment this year, a visitor was stroking a sheep and exclaimed, 'it feels just like a sheepskin!'
James said he replied dryly, 'Yeah, mate, only this one still has a heartbeat.'
Now, the nursery welcomes thousands of visitors each day.
From toddlers to grandparents, everyone has a favourite, whether it's a wriggly piglet or a wide-eyed lamb.
But, as cute as they are, they are not up for sale.
'I'd say if we said everyone could take an animal home, that all be gone before lunch,' he laughed.
One of James' favourites is Ginty, the nursery's resident Highland cow.
With her signature long horns and shaggy white coat, she's hard to miss and even harder not to love, James said.
Ginty first appeared at the Ekka as a calf, and now, at three-and-a-half years old, she has returned to calmly and contentedly steal the spotlight.
'She's just out there chewing her cud,' James said with a grin.
'She's been eating all day. She's like a big white vacuum cleaner.'
A home on the RNA Showgrounds
Behind the gates marked as staff only, a different kind of paddock life unfolds — for the humans.
James showed 7news.com.au exclusively where he and his crew live during the Ekka.
The 12 staff eat, work, and live together around the nursery, bunking in containers built atop the barn.
There is a makeshift kitchen and a massive outdoor fridge, as well as a washing machine — not to mention a toilet and shower block — hidden away from the public eye behind green Ekka-fences.
There's a tent turned 'dining room' with wooden tables and plastic chairs.
James' daughter, Ally, is spotted 'crackin' a coldie' with him after a long day.
'We're still working hours after the public leaves,' James said. 'The animals come first.'
Every night, stables are cleaned, water is topped up, pens are scrubbed, bedding is fluffed, feed is restocked, each animal is fed and checked.
On top of that, the sawdust covering hundreds of square metres of the nursery's arena has to be replaced multiple times during the nine-day Royal Queensland Show.
James and his team find their reward in the special moments of wide-eyed wonder, particularly when little children visit.
'You see kids come in terrified, and within 30 seconds, they're cuddling a goat. That's the magic of it.'