They were like puppies let off the leash on a beach after weeks of being cooped up.
Some of the shoppers squealed in delight as their chops sunk once again into the traditional pork snag with lots of onions on white bread, smeared invariably in blood red ketchup.
At the Bunnings Warehouse at Majura Park in the ACT, there was a steady stream of shoppers with withdrawal symptoms after after six long months of denial.
"It's such an iconic part of Australian culture and the community," Tara Bucknall said. "Having it back means we are adapting and adjusting and learning what the new normal is.
"I think it's fabulous to have everyone back on board."
Ray Gleichmer was equally enthusiastic in a quieter way. "It's been a long time coming," he said.
Then he lifted the iconic food to his magnificent beard into which it disappeared. "Very nice," he said.
Sausage sizzles at Bunnings on a Saturday morning are back on the menu in the capital, and NSW doesn't have long to wait either, with just a week to go. Victoria remains the only state with a ban in place.
There is a waiting list for organisations to run their own sausage sizzles, because the fundraising can lift a voluntary organisation mightily.
Saturday's sausages at Majura Park were provided by the Lokahi Outriggers Canoe Club, which rows Hawaiian-style canoes on Lake Burley Griffin (the Hawaiian word "lokahi" means "unity/harmony/balance").
"The Bunnings sausage sizzle has enabled us to build our club from one canoe up to three canoes and to increase our membership," the club's Megan Sanderson said.
"We'd be nowhere without Bunnings. We are so thrilled to be back this year and, hopefully, we are part of the new normal now."
It has been a brilliant publicity device for the company.
At little cost, Bunnings allows worthy organisations to raise money by giving a guilty pleasure to customers. Bunnings gets kudos; voluntary organisations get money; customers get pleasure.
The Australian Financial Review called the idea "arguably the most successful corporate-sponsored community engagement in Australia".
It started in Melbourne, but not with sausages. The first community group to take part was the Country Women's Association selling cakes.
It's such an iconic part of Australian culture and the community and having it back means we are adapting and adjusting and learning what the new normal is. I think it's fabulous to have everyone back on board.
Tara Bucknall
Bunnings, which started in Melbourne, was trying to find ways of engaging with the community. One executive was quoted as saying that "we had this notion in the back of our minds about being in the community. We talked about this idea of 'we live here too'."
Cakes morphed into sausages, and sausages morphed into money.
Over five years, more than 160,000 sausage sizzles have been held in Australia, raising more than $144 million. On average, each sausage sizzle in a Bunnings carpark raises about $900.
The roster for each of the 295 Bunnings Warehouse stores in Australia is run by an activities manager who allocates slots to groups.
On a rough estimate, each store might deal with up to 100 community groups a year.
There has been controversy. People have strong views over the seemingly unimportant (people argue over whether milk should go in tea first or last).
But that was nothing compared with the time when Bunnings ruled that onions had to go below the sausage on health and safety grounds. In effect, they banned the correct way which is, as we know: serviette first, then sausage, onions, and finally dollops of glop sauce.
A spokesperson for the store said at the time: "Safety is always our number one priority and we recently introduced a suggestion that onion be placed underneath sausages to help prevent the onion from falling out and creating a slip hazard."
It kept the shock jocks and the motor-mouths in perpetual motion for days.
When Bunnings expanded to Britain, the sizzle met opposition from sausage sellers trying to make a living from their vans.
There was no controversy in Majura Park on Saturday, though.
