Yesterday, the Fourex taps flowed fast to the cheer of fair-dinkum cattlemen - and the curiosity of one unusual patron in town for the Royal Queensland Show, which starts on Thursday.

Part of an annual August christening for the iconic bar, prize bull Vendetta took a well-deserved slurp of the Fourex Gold.

However, the beer was only a supplement to the banter shared among friends.

"This is what it's all about," Windra farmer James Mcutchen said with a chuckle, as he joined family and friends at the bar.

"The Ekka is the social event of the year...you only see some people once a year and it's here.

"See I wouldn't have known Cactus here had grown this hideous looking beard on his face would I, if I didn't see him at the show.

"And me ol' mate here, I wouldn't have known how big his beer gut had gotten.

"It's all important news you see."

The farmers' trips to Brisbane with their cattle in tow has come as a welcome reprieve from the hardships of drought.

"Anyone in rural Queensland is doing it pretty tough and it's just good to get away," Mr Mcutchen said.

"It's good to be around people socialising and having fun, you know."

A new online ticketing system launched this year offers a 15 per cent discount to the first 5000 people to purchase their Ekka tickets online.

RNA Chief Executive Jonathan Tunny said there was a big online focus for Ekka this year.

"We've introduced online ticketing, online games where you could win family passes, and an interactive itinerary builder so you can plan your day to the minute," Mr Tunny said.

"It's a great space for families to plan their Ekka visit to a budget and have loads of fun in the process."

However, the Queensland Opposition and public transport lobbyists have blasted a Translink decision to slug Ekka-bound train travellers with higher ticketing costs than bus users.