Every year, someone predicts that agricultural field days are dying. Every year, thousands of people turn up to Primex and prove them wrong. Because here’s the thing — you can research a water tank online. You can compare specs, read reviews, and fill a cart. What you can’t do online is stand next to one, run your hand along the wall, and have a straight conversation with the person who built it. And you certainly can’t replicate the moment you walk into a showground in Lismore — a town that was underwater in 2022 and is now hosting one of Australia’s most significant agricultural field days – Norco Primex 2026, for the very first time — and feel, in your bones, exactly why these events still matter.
More Than a Trade Fair
People sometimes dismiss field days as old-fashioned. Why drive an hour to look at equipment you could research online in five minutes? Here’s why. Because online research tells you specs. Field days tell you everything else. You get to:
- see the product in front of you — its size, its build quality, the weight of the walls, the finish of the fittings
- talk to the people who actually make it, not a customer service script
- ask the awkward questions. The ones that matter. The ones like: “Will this actually fit under my deck?” or “What size do I need for a property our size?” or “My bore’s been marginal — what would you recommend?”
Those conversations don’t happen the same way online. They happen at places like Primex.
Norco Primex 2026 director Bruce Wright put it well:
“What makes Primex different is that it reflects real life in the regions — it’s face-to-face, it’s practical, and it’s grounded in relationships.”
Over four decades, the event has facilitated more than $1 billion in exhibitor sales and injected close to $100 million into the Northern Rivers economy. That’s not the legacy of a trade fair that’s lost its relevance. That’s the legacy of something that still genuinely works.
A New Chapter
This year’s Norco Primex carries extra significance. After 41 years in Casino, the event has moved to the Lismore Showgrounds — a venue that was badly damaged in the devastating 2022 floods and has since been restored through a $4.7 million infrastructure investment.
For anyone who knows the Northern Rivers, this is a big deal. Lismore copped more than most communities could bear in 2022. The fact that Primex — one of the most commercially significant agricultural events in regional NSW — is now anchoring itself to Lismore’s recovery says something about what these events stand for beyond the buying and selling.
Primex director Bruce Wright framed it simply:
“This isn’t just about changing locations. This is about backing a community that’s backing us.”
The 2026 theme, Growing the Future: Innovation, Production and Regional Strength, reflects exactly that spirit. It’s a field day, yes. But it’s also a statement of confidence in regional Australia — in the farmers, the businesses, the communities, and the industries that keep this country fed and functioning.
And we are proud to be part of it.
Why Field Days Matter for Farmers and Rural Communities
It’s worth stepping back and recognising what agricultural shows actually do — beyond the sales figures.
Agricultural shows, at their core, are knowledge hubs. Farmers get to see the latest machinery in action, compare options side by side, and talk directly to the manufacturers and suppliers behind them. In a sector where the wrong equipment choice can cost serious time and money, that access is genuinely valuable.
They are economic engines. The $3.5 million that Primex injects into the Northern Rivers economy each year flows into accommodation, hospitality, fuel, and local services. For regional towns, a well-attended field day is not a footnote on the calendar — it’s one of the biggest trading weeks of the year.
And the annual AG Show are important community anchors. For many people in rural and regional Australia, the annual field day is one of the few occasions where the full agricultural community gathers in one place. Farmers, suppliers, government agencies, researchers, and educators all in the same paddock. The informal connections made at events like Primex have launched businesses, solved problems, and built friendships that last decades.
And they are a reminder of what regional Australia is. At a time when it’s easy to feel like the country’s attention and investment flows only toward the cities, walking through a show like Primex is a grounding experience. The scale of it — 430-plus exhibitors, more than 1,200 suppliers, 30,000 expected visitors — is a reminder that primary industries are THE backbone of our beautiful country.
Come and Find Us
Duraplas Water Tanks — the manufacturing mother company behind The Water Tank Factory — will be exhibiting at Norco Primex 2026 across all three days, Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 May, at the Lismore Showgrounds. A site map will be available on the day to help you locate our stand. Come and find us. This year’s extended Friday hours (9am to 6:30pm) mean there’s plenty of time to get around the whole show without rushing — and a shuttle service will be running to make parking and access easier for everyone.
What to Bring — and What to Ask Us
To make the most of a conversation at our stand, it helps to come prepared. Here’s a simple checklist:
Useful things to bring or know:
Useful things to bring or know:
- A rough idea of your property or block size
- Your roof dimensions if you’re thinking about a rainwater collection setup (or just a general sense — we can work with that)
- Any photos of the space where you’re thinking of installing a tank — under a deck, beside a shed, on a truck, in a paddock
- Your biggest current water challenge — bore struggling? Dam drying up? Water bills climbing? No mains connection?
- Great questions to ask us:
- What size tank do I actually need for my situation?
- Can I fit a tank under my deck — and what size would work?
- What’s the difference between a round tank, a slimline, an underdeck tank, and an underground tank?
- How do I set up a tank for drinking water use?
- Can I link multiple tanks together for greater storage?
- What pumps and accessories do I need to get the most out of my setup?
- What are your current lead times and pricing?
- Do you offer factory-direct pricing if I order on the day?
There are no silly questions at a field day. That’s exactly what we’re there for.
See You in Lismore
Norco Primex 2026 runs Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 May at the Lismore Showgrounds, Northern NSW. Gates open daily, with extended hours on Friday from 9am to 6:30pm. Entry tickets are available online or at the gate.
Pick up a site map on arrival and come find the Duraplas Water Tanks stand. Whether you’ve got a specific project in mind, a water problem you’ve been putting off solving, or you just want to have a conversation about what’s possible — we’d love to see you there. Because that’s what field days are for.
Can’t make it to Primex but want to talk tanks? Call the team on 1300 826 532 or browse the full range at watertankfactory.com.au