Australian Collectables Expo 2025

​I'm writing this after a monster of a Saturday. I just got up after a 12 hour sleep and I still feel tired! I'm smashed because Fiona and I spent yesterday at the Australian Collectables Expo (also known as the Campbelltown Card Show), and we spent the couple of days prior to that getting ready for it. Only a week after our appearance at TCXPO, we decided to contribute to this show because it was local (only ten minutes away from home!) and because the van was already half-loaded with the machines and parts from the last show, so loading up wouldn't be too difficult! And, of course, it helps us in our mission to spread "pinball to the people". ​

Since we already had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Data East, 1991) and Super Mario Bros (Gottlieb, 1992) in the van, those were good to go. I decided to pull Eye of the Tiger (Gottlieb, 1978) out of the line-up as I wanted to do a little bit of playfield work on it. Instead, we took Johnny Mnemonic (Williams, 1995) to fill the gap. This was a varied line-up with games from three different manufacturers with a little for everyone. At this show, we would take up occupancy in the "Retro City" section, alongside Eric from Arcade Machines Australia, who was exhibiting a number of video arcade games for sale.
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Show floor plan. Retro City at left.

Setup for the event was pretty straightforward. In addition to the games, Fiona and I also set up a table selling some pinball paraphernalia including LED neon signs, metal signs, and street-style signs. We figured this would be a good way to recoup some of the costs of attending the show, and maybe even pay for lunch! (Epilogue: we didn't manage to sell anything after all... oh well!)
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Ready to go on opening morning, with stall and games all set up.

The show went all day Saturday, so it was a pretty steady stream of people into and out of the room from around midday. I tried one thing to draw some more attention to the pinball games. I used a small party light as a topper for the Super Mario Bros. This shone some cool lighting effects onto the roof and wall around the games, and could be seen from the other end of the room. It was a really cool effect when walking into the room for the first time. It reminded me very much of the topper for Elton John (Jersey Jack, 2023) but for only $30 (Temu).
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Party light shining on the walls and ceiling above Super Mario Bros.

Easily visible from across the room!

It was great to see a variety of people playing pinball throughout the day. A lot of younger kids played it for the first time, while some of the older patrons were rediscovering it. I spoke with several people about buying and maintaining machines for the home. A few asked if any of my machines were for sale, to which I replied: "Never"!
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All of the machines got a lot of play over the course of the day.

Watching over the crowd as they enjoy the games.

The photo below is particularly special as it encapsulates what I think pinball is all about. Pinball is accessible for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. It's a great way to have fun and escape the world for a little while. The photo below was a great example of the range of people who can enjoy pinball, with pinball being a commonality that brings us all together. Pinball is a great equaliser!
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Pinball can be enjoyed by people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

We also ran an informal high score competition over the course of the day. No prizes on offer this time; just bragging rights. We saw multiple people come back over the course of the day to try and beat their score, which was awesome! The final high scores of the day are below. Congrats to Mel, "G", and Daniel! I went with a paper-based scoreboard for this event but it wasn't very convenient; I'll have to invest in some small screens or other tech to make updating scores easier in future.
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High scores of the day.

The day ended quite late so we packed up the van as quickly as we could, bought some food on the way home, and crashed in bed! I think we're going to retire Super Mario Bros and TMNT from expos and shows for a little while, as they have been to most of the shows we've participated in in the last couple of years. Time to spread the love around a little more! You can see a list of all of the shows each machine has been to on our Hire and Events page. Below are an assortment of photos from the event. We'll be happy to contribute machines to the show the next time it comes to town!
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Us and our machines at the end of the show.