The circus came to Cruden Farm in February with supporters of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute enjoying a ringside seat.

Circus Oz brought the excitement of the big top to more than 2,000 visitors as Dame Elisabeth Murdoch once again opened her renowned Langwarrin gardens for a family day out in support of child health research.

Kids of all ages made the most of the stunning backdrop, with a day of fun that included Circus Oz acrobats and clowns, the ever-popular Dorothy the Dinosaur, pony rides, a baby animal farm, live music, face painting and fabulous food and wine.

The annual picnic day helped raise more than $70,000 for the Murdoch Childrens, with the money going to innovative research projects aimed at ensuring all children lead happy and healthy lives.

Sincere thanks to the hard work of our project committee, the development board, our wonderful volunteers and our sponsors Herald Sun, Circus Oz, Aroma Baby, Country Road, Leader Newspapers, The Council, Marshall White, Greentix, Splitrock, Cheviot Bridge and Café Racer.

Cruden Farm committee

Romy Burzstyn, Susannah Calvert-Jones, Shara Catalano, Aimee Dean-Pritchard, Narelle Curtis, Gwenda Hance, Danni Hosking, Victoria Lord, Fraser Macvean, Lara Reynolds, Julia Rockman

Development Board

Prue Brown, Susannah Calvert-Jones, Suzi Carp, Antony Catalano, Narelle Curtis, Aimee Dean-Pritchard, Jane Fenton, Alex Lowen, Fraser Macvean, Jason Newman, Sarah O'Hare, Ryan O'Hare, Sam Patterson, Angus Reynolds

Dame Elisabeth with a juggling clown	Mime clown with Britney Percel	Charlotte and Isabella Taylor at the Country Road stall	The crowd enjoying the Circus Oz show
Western bulldogs footballers Allan Toovey, Daniel Nicholls and Shannon Cox with Thomas, Callan and Joel	Dorothy the Dinosaur with Krissy and Rupert Clemenger	The entrance to Cruden Farm	The crowd enjoying the Circus Oz show