THE weird, the wonderful and the downright odd is all for sale this weekend as thousands descend on the paddocks next to Ballarat Airport for the annual Swap Meet.
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And one look at the aerial shots shows just how quickly (and orderly) the tent and car city has sprung up, literally overnight.
Event manager Lindsay Florence said there were upwards of 3000 stall holders and more than 1000 people coming through every hour.
"The swap meets are almost a culture, it's the same people year after year who come for the experience," Mr Florence said.
"A lot of people have already rebooked for next year. Right now, we're sitting at 30 per cent return bookings and my the time we close, that will be about 45 per cent.
"If you're a car restorer, or a hot rod restorer, it's perfect. But away from that, we've got something for everyone, clocks, dolls, toys, vintage toys, we've had one lady selling antique lace and just as we're talking there's two people going past with mud guards."
Mr Florence said first timers to the event had commented to him about the sheer size of the meet.
"I spoke to one person and he's walked around and he can't believe the size of the event and the number of people, he'd never been here before, he said it's whole other world," he said.
The Ballarat Swap Meet is considered the largest meet of its kind in the southern hemisphere. While Friday is traditionally the biggest day, it will remain open until 6pm Saturday.
Entry fees will also be reduced today from $15 to $10. Car gates open from 6am the grounds open from 7am.
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