Miniature goats for pets, Angora goats for fleece, South African Boer goats for meat and various dairy goat breeds will be on show at Goatfest on Sunday.
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Dairy Goat Society of Australia state president Steve Baldock said Goatfest was a great chance for current and would-be goat enthusiasts to recieve information about this ancient farm animal.
He said those who have goats as pets might hold one or two animals, while breeders could have up to 20 goats and commercial breeders might have up to 400.
"Just come along to Goatfest and have a look, we will have many different goats on show, where you can talk to the breeders and decide which goat breed you should get," he said.
"You need a couple of acres at least to keep goats, you can't just run them in your backyard, and they are just like any other livestock, you need to maintain them in good condition to get the best out of them.
"They need to be drenched, hoof trimmed, provided with adequate minerals to keep them healthy .. we will be talking about all this and more on the day."
Mr Baldock said an increase in requests for goat meat, particulary from African and Middle Eastern communities, had led to more breeders in the meat market.
Meat and Livestock Australia statistics show that goat is a niche protein in Australia but is increasing its presence on menus and is regarded as the safest and best value of all meats.
The organisation said that many consumers are still not familiar with it, but one-third would consider eating it.
Mr Baldock said a benefit to owning goats was milk production and the products that can be made with milk, including cheese, yoghurt as well as soaps.
"We have goats who produce from 4 litres to a bit over 6 litres a day. It depends on the genetics and age of the goat, but they generally come in at 18 months old and they increase each year as they get older, just like cattle," he said.
"We are stud breeders and we aren't allowed to sell the milk so we feed our family, make ice-cream, yoghurt and cheese."
Other Goatfest events include animal husbandry demonstrations, goat milk products to sample and purchase, soap making competitions, photography exhibitions and breeder exhibitions.
Goatfest is run by the state's Australian Goat Society of Australia, the Miniature Goat Breeders Association of Australia, Mohair Australia and the Boer Goat Breeders Association of Australia.
It will be held on February 9 from 10 am in the equine pavillion at the Launceston Showgrounds in Inveresk.
