Attracting some 900 athletes and thousands of supporters from across the State, the two-day carnival rivalled any major sporting event, particularly in terms of organisation and participation.

As cries of ‘Go Wellington’ filled the air amidst the sea of colour and activity, athletes, supporters and an army of volunteers rushed around in readiness for the multitude of track and field events.

“It’s massive,” Wellington Athletics president Dugald Campbell said.

“Council has done an incredible job of preparing the grounds and the club has worked exceptionally hard.

“We have been lucky with the weather and everything is running like clockwork.”

Competition-wise, Mr Campbell was confident the prelude to the State Carnival would live up to its name.

“It’s a fast track so we are hopeful there will be lots of records broken,” he said.

Visitors to the Wellington grounds were also very impressed.

“Hospitality has been brilliant,” Chris Richards from Wollongong said.

“There’s a lovely country atmosphere.”

Mr Richards and his family attend athletics carnivals all over NSW but said the Wellington track compares favourably.

“A lot of preparation has gone in to making the track look good,” he said.

“The grass surface is a bit of a change because most metropolitan areas have synthetic tracks these days.

“This is a slower track than the kids are used to but everybody is running on the same surface so there is no disadvantage.”

This is the second time Wellington has held the prestigious event with Wollongong set to host the 2009 regional carnival.