Natasha Allen/Daily NewsKentucky Down Under Marketing Director Jaana Sipila holds a skink, an Australian lizard found at the park in Horse Cave.

Aussie Fest is returning to Kentucky Down Under on Saturday and Sunday.

The annual event has been held for more than a decade and features a number of contests.

The ever-popular “Mutton Bustin’ Children’s Sheep Rodeo,” during which children in bicycle helmets will try to stay on lambs for eight seconds, will be back at the Australian-themed park in Horse Cave, with four competitions each Friday and Saturday, said Marketing Director Jaana Sipila.

That’s one more per day than were held last year, she said.

The park is keeping the most popular contests of previous years, but adding new ones such as coolamon races, Sipila said.

A coolamon is a curved wooden tray used to carry things on a person’s head, she said. Racers will have to balance one piled with objects while traveling the course.

Many other competitions for children and adults, most involving traditional Australian activities, will fill the weekend in addition to the park’s regular attractions, Sipila said.

Kentucky Down Under features an Outback Walkabout showing kangaroos, emus and other Australian animals; a walk-in birdcage where birds can perch on visitors’ heads and eat from their hands; Camp Corroboree, which demonstrates Aboriginal lifestyles; a re-created Australian sheep station; a nature trail displaying North American animals; and an overlook deck for observing the park’s herd of bison.

The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, an hour longer than usual during this time of year, Sipila said.

The cost for Aussie Fest is $18.75 for adults, $10.50 for ages 5 to 14, and free for those under 5.

In honor of Hardin, Grayson, LaRue and Green County Days, with proof of residency, people from those counties will be admitted for $5.

– For more information, call Kentucky Down Under at (800) 762-2869 or visit http://www.kdu.com.