Brisbane Exhibition Grounds

General

Also known as

RNA Showgrounds; Royal Queensland Showgrounds; Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Exhibition Grounds/Show Grounds; National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Exhibition Grounds

Classification

State Heritage

Register status

Entered

Date entered

25 July 2003

Type

Social and community: Showground/exhibition grounds

Themes

2.4 Exploiting, utilising and transforming the land: Agricultural activities

3.10 Developing secondary and tertiary industries: Entertaining for profit

8.3 Creating social and cultural institutions: Organisations and societies

8.4 Creating social and cultural institutions: Festivals

8.5 Creating social and cultural institutions: Sport and recreation

Architects

Chambers, Claude William

Gailey, Richard Jnr

Hodgen, William

Builders

Hutchinson, John

Walls & Juster

Construction periods

1887, No.1 Show Ring (1887)

1904–1917, John Reid Pavilion (1904, on site 1917)

1906–1909, John MacDonald Stand (1906, 1909)

1906, Sideshow Alley (From 1906)

1909, Gregory Terrace Entry Building (1909, relocated)

1922–1923, Ernest Baynes Stand (1923)

1923–1958, RNA Council Stand (1923, 1930, 1958)

1923, No.2 Show Ring (1923)

1923, Gregory Rest (trees by 1923)

1928–1951, Horse Stalls & Sales Ring (1928, 1936, 1951)

1929–1947, Former Commonwealth Bank Building (1929, 1947)

1930–1960, O’Connell Terrace Gate Buildings (toilet 1930s-40s, pedestrian gate 1960s)

1936, Stock Pavilion (former Pig Pavilion, 1936)

1936, Stock Agent’s Offices (1936)

1936, Stockman’s Bar and Grill (1936)

1936, Stockman’s Rest (trees by 1936)

1936, Former Wool Hall (Building 8) (1936)

1936, Sideshow Alley Gates on Bowen Bridge Road (1936)

1937–1939, Former Industrial Pavilion Façade (1937-9)

1937, Sugar Hall (1937)

1950–1960, Machinery Hill Stands (1950, 1958, 1960s)

1951, Beef Cattle Pavilion (1951)

1964, Dairy Industry Hall (1964)

1970–1972, Member’s Stand (1972)

Historical period

1870s–1890s Late 19th century

1900–1914 Early 20th century

1919–1930s Interwar period

1940s–1960s Post-WWII

1970s–1990s Late 20th century

Location

Address

574 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills

LGA

Brisbane City Council

Coordinates

-27.45031257, 153.0323741

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Significance

Criterion AThe place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland’s history.

The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds is important in demonstrating the development of Queensland’s primary and secondary industries through an annual Exhibition, or ‘Ekka’, organised by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA). Held in August since 1876, the Ekka, also known as the Royal Queensland Show, brings rural activities to an urban setting and has become a major event in the lives of Queenslanders.

Through its provision of facilities such as a primary show ring; public stands; exhibition pavilions; buildings for animal and exhibitor accommodation; offices for organisations; and open and green spaces with trees for events, side shows and crowd movement, the Ekka has encouraged excellence in Queensland's agricultural, horticultural, pastoral and industrial sectors through competitions and the display of animals, produce, products and technology.

Criterion DThe place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds are important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a show ground in a capital city. Exceptional as Queensland's premier show ground, the place retains purpose-built buildings and open spaces from a range of eras that reflect the place's evolution over time. Principal characteristics of the place include its central, accessible location, adjacent to a railway; generous grounds; primary show ring with public stands; exhibition pavilions; buildings for animal and exhibitor accommodation; open and green spaces with trees for Sideshow Alley, movement of crowds, and events; and offices for the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland.

Criterion EThe place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds is important for its aesthetic significance brought about by its individually prominent, intact buildings, and collectively as an expansive show ground with beautiful and evocative attributes, and landmark qualities.

The No.1 Show Ring and its stand buildings evoke a strong sense of the excitement and spectacle of the show through their grand scale, and the form of a show ring partially encircled by large stand buildings. The John Macdonald stand is particularly important as a landmark, with its prominent clock tower visible from within the showgrounds and the surrounding area.

The eastern part of the Main Showground Area, including the Horse Stalls, Stock Pavilion, and Stockman’s Rest, through their utilitarian forms, simple materials, and large trees are highly evocative of the rural nature of the Royal Queensland Show.

The former Industrial Pavilion Façade, John MacDonald Stand, and Stock Agent's Offices are intact and are important for their individual beautiful attributes brought about by their: prominent siting in their areas, cohesive architectural designs, high quality construction, robust materials, and well-composed facades.

Criterion GThe place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The place has a strong association with generations of Queenslanders who have attended and participated in the annual exhibition, known as the 'Ekka', since its inaugural event in 1876, and the many other events that have taken place at the Exhibition Grounds. The Ekka brings together Queenslanders from throughout the state and from various groups, year after year, to participate in various ways in the show, with a public holiday show day occurring in Brisbane and many other Queensland regions, towns and local government areas during the event.

Ekka experiences—that include co-ordinating, competing in, or watching events in the show ring, participating in or judging competitions, staying with or visiting animals in their stalls, organising or viewing exhibits, running or visiting Sideshow Alley attractions, buying showbags and eating Ekka-related foods—have become embedded in the memory of many Queenslanders.

Criterion HThe place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland’s history.

The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds is significant for its long and close association with the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA), an organisation of importance in Queensland’s history. Through its creation and ongoing organisation of an annual event for State-level competitions between winners of local Queensland shows, and its provision and maintenance of suitable facilities, the RNA has been important in promoting excellence in Queensland’s primary and secondary industries. The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds have been the home of the RNA’s annual show since the first exhibition in 1876; the site of the Association Secretary’s office and Council room since 1905; and the location of the RNA’s offices since 1962.

History

The history of the annual Brisbane Exhibition (the ‘Ekka’, also known as the Royal Queensland Show), held at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds (Royal National Association (RNA) Showgrounds), starts with the staging of the first Queensland Intercolonial Exhibition in August 1876. The site has been the venue for Queensland's principal agricultural, pastoral and industrial exhibitions since that time, with new buildings and facilities added and old ones replaced as circumstances required. Attendees have formed fond memories of various aspects of the Ekka, from Sideshow Alley to the exhibits, baby animals to showbags, competing at the show, and events such as the Grand Parade and fireworks displays in the main show ring. The Exhibition Grounds remain Queensland's premier showgrounds and retain a variety of structures and facilities dating from 1887 (No.1 Show Ring) onwards.

Origins of the Brisbane Exhibition

The site of the Exhibition Grounds is part of the traditional lands of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples and their York’s Hollow (Barrambin) campground,[1] and includes most of the land originally granted by the Queensland Government to the Queensland Acclimatisation Society (the Acclimatisation Society). This organisation was established in 1862 to promote the introduction, acclimatization, propagation and distribution in Queensland of economically useful plants and animals. In 1863 and 1866 it was given a total of 44.5 acres (18ha) of land, through which ran a creek, east of Bowen Bridge Road. The Acclimatisation Society established a public exhibition garden [Bowen Park, QHR 601523] at the northwest corner of the site, fronting Bowen Bridge Road and O'Connell Terrace, while the rest of the site was used for experimentation purposes.[2]

The southwest corner of the Acclimatisation Society’s grounds, within the bend of the creek and fronting Bowen Bridge Road and Gregory Terrace, later became the site of Queensland's 1876 Intercolonial Exhibition.[3] Such events, like the ‘Great Exhibition’ in London in 1851, were designed to display the products of the industrial age. Similar exhibitions occurred throughout Australia, to promote trade between the colonies and attract international investment, but these were ‘one off’ events. The concept of holding annual exhibitions to demonstrate the products of the colonies was promoted by agricultural societies.[4]

The 1876 exhibition in Brisbane was not the first competitive demonstration of agricultural and industrial progress in Queensland. In 1854, prior to Separation, squatters from the Darling Downs and Moreton Bay districts of New South Wales established an agricultural and pastoral association to hold exhibitions of produce. In the 1860s and 1870s other regional agricultural and pastoral associations were formed, among the earliest being the Darling Downs Agricultural Society (based at Toowoomba) in 1860.[5] These Associations conducted annual exhibitions of agricultural, horticultural, and pastoral produce and farm machinery. Prizes were awarded for best exhibits. The object was to encourage the exchange of knowledge and to foster better farm practices. Associations such as these proliferated in Queensland during the second half of the 19th century, and each held an annual 'show'. 

In 1874, Queensland's Chief Inspector of Stock, Patrick Robertson Gordon, initiated the establishment of a national agricultural society, to plan Brisbane's first Intercolonial Exhibition. In May 1875 an inaugural meeting was held to form the National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (the Association). The first meeting of the Association was held on 13 August 1875. At this meeting, use of part of the Acclimatisation Society's grounds was discussed, and subsequently a lease of about 12 acres (4.9ha) was arranged.[6]

The Intercolonial Exhibition was intended to promote and showcase the agricultural, pastoral and industrial resources of the whole of Queensland. The Association sought to encourage regional agricultural societies and associations by holding a grand central exhibition for competitions between winners from the regional shows. To avoid clashing with the latter, and in order to hold the Exhibition during fine weather, before the shearing season, and when good feed would be found along the roads, it was decided to stage the Exhibition in August 1876.[7]

The 1876 Exhibition

The first Exhibition Building, a large timber hall with side aisles, a central clerestory and two annexes, was erected in 1876 on Gregory Terrace near the corner of Bowen Bridge Road. The first Queensland Intercolonial Exhibition was opened by the Governor, Sir William Wellington Cairns, on Tuesday 22 August 1876, a day which was declared a public holiday, with the Exhibition running until 28 August. Exhibits in the Exhibition Building included plants, furniture, wines, jewellery, minerals, embroidery, fine arts and clothes, fruit, and other produce and technology. Two show rings were located north of the Exhibition Building, along with cattle, sheep and horse stalls. Dogs and poultry were on display, as well as farm machinery, a windmill, steam engines, a stamper battery, and a timber cottage erected by sawmiller William Pettigrew. Judging of exhibits and displays took place, along with sales of livestock and machinery. Beginning a long tradition, there was also a bar at the first exhibition – although aerated waters and fruit were offered at the Temperance booth. [8]

The Exhibition proved immensely popular, with 15,000 people attending on the opening day (Brisbane’s population then being 22,000). On the start of the first day, the crush of the crowd overwhelmed the inadequate turnstiles, and mounted troopers had to drive back people pressing from the outside. Due to the successful turnout, the Exhibition became an annual event, including a public holiday in Brisbane and other areas – the holiday in Brisbane now being known as ‘People’s Day’ and usually occurring on the sixth day of the show. [9]

The show continues, 1870s-1890s

Displays and competitions related to animals, horticulture, rural produce, products and technology continued to be important aspects of the show experience, as did competitions demonstrating rural skills, handicrafts, fine arts, cooking, and fashion.[10] As time passed, pavilions were constructed for specific animals, produce, technologies and industries.

The area taken up by the Exhibition also changed over the years. In 1879, the Association was awarded a lease of around 18.5 acres (7.5ha) of the Acclimatisation Society’s grounds for a period of 50 years.[11] In 1881 the railway to Sandgate was constructed through Acclimatisation Society’s grounds, including the area leased by the Association, and in compensation the Association was given more of the Acclimatisation Society’s land ‘across the creek’ (to the northeast).[12] After this the Exhibition Grounds comprised all the land southeast of the railway line, bounded by Bowen Bridge Road, Gregory Terrace, Brookes Street and O'Connell Terrace; while the Acclimatisation Society retained the land (Bowen Park) northwest of the railway.[13]

The Association continued to improve its facilities during the 1880s, erecting a grandstand in 1885.[14] As the show ring was inadequate, in 1886 the Association decided to form a new cricket ground and cycling track, in the hope that sporting events could bring in a permanent income.[15] This new show ring (the current No.1 Show Ring), formed by reclaiming a section of the creek north of Gregory Terrace, was ready for the 1887 show. The 1885 grandstand was relocated to the west side of the new show ring.[16]

In June 1888 the original Exhibition Building was destroyed by fire.[17] in July 1888 the Association called for competitive designs for a permanent Exhibition Building, while a temporary Exhibition Building – a galvanised iron shed erected at the back of the grandstand – was used for that year’s show.[18]

Before committing to a new Exhibition Building, the Association needed security of land tenure. Under the provisions of the National Association and Acclimatisation Society Act 1890, 23 acres, 1 rood and 32.5 perches (9.5ha) of land leased from the Acclimatisation Society for an exhibition ground was resumed and granted to the Association as Trustees, who were also empowered under this act to borrow money from the Queensland Government for construction.[19]

The design competition was won by the accomplished Brisbane architect George Henry Male Addison. The foundation stone was laid on 25 April 1891 and the builder, John Quinn, was required to have a section of the building completed for the August 1891 exhibition, and the whole of the building completed within 12 months.[20] The Exhibition Building [QHR 600209] was completed for the 1892 Exhibition, which 45,000 people attended despite the economic depression occurring at that time. [21]

However, the Association could not escape the effects of the 1890s depression and struggled to repay the government loan on the Exhibition Building. As a result, the colonial government resumed the building and liquidated the Association's debts in December 1897. Prior to this, from May to August 1897 an International Exhibition was held. As well as using the Exhibition Building, a large, covered annexe was constructed just to the rear/northeast. Due to the Government’s resumption of the Exhibition Building, the covered annexe housed the 1898 exhibition.[22]

Improvements, 1900-1914

The Association struggled to maintain the viability of the remaining Exhibition Grounds until 1902-03, when the Queensland government took control of the Association's assets, leasing the Exhibition Annexe back to the Association during the annual exhibition, and charging an annual rental for the grounds and other buildings.[23]

In the early 1900s the Queensland economy revived, and the Association's financial position improved, allowing substantial improvements of the Exhibition Grounds. A two-storey building for the Secretary’s office, council room and a post office, located next to the Exhibition Annexe, was constructed in 1905.[24] Next, a new grandstand, designed by Brisbane architect Claude William Chambers to seat 2500 people, was erected for the 1906 Exhibition at a cost of £6248, with its easternmost bay completed in 1909. In 1923, this stand was re-named the John MacDonald Stand (extant 2023) in honour of a long-serving Association councillor.[25]

Other improvements and changes occurred in time for the 1906 exhibition. The side show booths, which had been located on the hill to the northeast of the ring, were moved onto the Acclimatisation Society’s grounds on the northwest side of the railway, their place being taken by machinery exhibits. The hill has since become known as Machinery Hill, and the valley northwest of the railway as Sideshow Alley. [26]

Another extension to the Exhibition Grounds occurred in 1909, when an adjacent 6 acres (2.4ha) of land called ‘Petty’s Paddock’, south of Gregory Terrace and southwest of Alexandria Street, was acquired.[27] Also in 1909, a council room (later known as the Gregory Terrace Entry Building, extant in 2023), with a prominent roof fleche (since removed) and a verandah on the inner side, was erected over the turnstiles from Gregory Terrace, near the 1905 office building.[28]

In the 1910s the Association established a relationship with Brisbane architects Richard Gailey Snr and Richard Gailey Jnr. In early 1914, Richard Gailey Architects called for tenders for a Sheep, Pig and Poultry Pavilion, and this long open shed, (progressively demolished from the 1960s), was constructed along the southwest side of Petty’s Paddock in time for the 1914 show – the first year that land south of Gregory Terrace was used for the Exhibition. Other improvements for the 1914 show included: the conversion of sheep sheds east of the No.1 Show Ring into a dining hall; six grassed terraces on the Machinery Hill side of the ring; and a small show ring (not the later No.2 Show Ring) for dairy cattle, located northwest of the railway, with dairy cattle stalls nearby.[29] By the 1910s a tram loop also existed from Bowen Bridge Road, along Gregory Terrace, and back to St Pauls Terrace via Alexandria Street/Sutton Street.[30]

World War I and the 1919 influenza pandemic

Although a military enlistment depot was established at the Exhibition Grounds during World War I (WWI, 1914-18), this did not prevent the annual Exhibition from proceeding or inhibit the expansion of the Exhibition’s facilities.[31] Affleck House, on the southeast side of the railway line, was completed by August 1918 for the use of Stock Breeders' Association delegates during the show. This timber building burnt down in 1969 and was rebuilt in masonry (extant in 2023).[32]

An important wartime addition to the grounds was Austral Hall, designed by architect William Hodgen and erected in 1904 as a Boer War memorial concert hall in Toowoomba. This was purchased by the Association for £1500 in 1917 and re-erected in the northeast corner of Petty’s Paddock for the 1918 show.[33] Reflecting the growing popularity of the motor car, the building became the first Brisbane Exhibition pavilion to be dedicated solely to motor vehicle displays (previously located on Machinery Hill). In 1919 Austral Hall was renamed the John Reid Pavilion (extant in 2023) following the death that year of Brisbane merchant John Reid, a long-time supporter of the Association.[34]

From May 1919 the showgrounds were used as an isolation hospital during the influenza pandemic which swept Australia following the return of service personnel from overseas at the end of WWI. Huts were erected as isolation wards for the nearby Brisbane General Hospital, and dining rooms were set up for the expected influx of seriously ill patients. The Exhibition Annexe, previously in use as a wool store, was also utilised as a hospital. Due to the threat of contagion, and to save disturbing patients in the isolation wards, the Exhibition was cancelled that year.[35]

Interwar growth, 1920s

Following the visit of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) to the Exhibition in 1920, the Association moved to incorporate the word 'Royal' into its name as the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland, which over the years has been reduced, unofficially, to the Royal National Association (RNA). The RNA also registered as its trademark the word 'Ekka' (a colloquial shortening of the word 'Exhibition').[36]

A number of improvements were made to the Exhibition Grounds in the early 1920s.[37] By 1923 the 1885 grandstand had been moved from the main show ring to overlook a new dairy show ring (No.2 Show Ring, part extant in 2023), formed on a reclaimed section of creek northwest of the railway line. This new ring was also used for wood chopping competitions. The 1885 grandstand was replaced at the No.1 Show Ring by the Ernest Baynes Stand (extant 2023). Designed by architect Richard Gailey Jnr and constructed by John Hutchinson, it had two tiers of seating, with a seating capacity of 5000 and a total capacity of 7000. It was constructed with a steel frame faced with brick, the larger steel sections being imported from Britain and the smaller sections made in Australia. The foundation stone of the new grandstand was laid by the Governor, Sir Matthew Nathan, in November 1922, and the stand was completed in time for the August 1923 Exhibition, at a cost of £26,884. The sub-floor contained a dining room that accommodated 600 people, and a row of shops facing the lane at the rear (southwest side) of the structure.[38]

Another early 1920s addition was the RNA Council Stand (extant in 2023), located adjacent to the south end of the Ernest Baynes Stand, which was also constructed in time for the 1923 show. Originally two storeys, it included a council room, the Secretary’s office and a press room. At some early period, the northern end of the building was extended to incorporate an entrance to the seating in front of the stand. In 1930 a third storey was added to the building, and in 1958 a two-storeyed extension was constructed at the rear (southwest), with a new roof constructed over the seating in 1959.[39]

Additional buildings were constructed on the Exhibition Grounds during the late 1920s. In 1928 new Horse Stalls (extant 2023) were built along Gregory Terrace, as well as a series of new dairy cattle pavilions along O’Connell Terrace northwest of the railway line.[40] A Sheep and Wool Pavilion was also built on O’Connell Terrace southeast of the railway line in 1928. A toilet block was added behind this pavilion (next to Gate 4 on O’Connell Terrace) by 1933 and was extended to the east c1946-51 (extant 2023).[41]

Other improvements in the late 1920s included the Lady Forster Creche, which was opened in Costin Street near the main entrance to the Exhibition Grounds in time for the 1928 show and later moved to northeast of No.1 Show Ring in 1939.[42] In 1929 the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which since 1923 had conducted a bank at the Exhibition Grounds during the annual show, constructed a purpose-designed bank building (extant 2023 as the Governor’s Pavilion), just to the south of the Council Stand. The northeast end of the building was extended in 1947.[43]

During the 1920s, the RNA also sought to make the Exhibition Grounds a first-class venue for cricket, football and other sports, although it had limited success. The year 1928 was a high point for the Association's sporting ambitions, with the showground hosting the first England versus Australia cricket test of the 1928-29 series. Legendary Australian cricketer Donald Bradman made his Test debut at this event. More successful than cricket or football was Exhibition Speedway, on the dirt track around No.1 Show Ring, established in 1926.[44]

Interwar growth, 1930s

Despite severe economic depression in the early 1930s, the Exhibition continued to attract its strong annual attendance during the 1930s, with total show attendance rising from 263,702 in 1932, to 361,677 in 1938.[45]  In 1932, more land was acquired from Bowen Park, bringing the total area of the Exhibition Grounds to about 40 acres (16ha).[46] In the same year, a Beef Cattle Pavilion was constructed on O'Connell Terrace just southeast of the railway line, while a Pig Pavilion was added between the Beef Cattle Pavilion and Sheep and Wool Pavilion by 1933. At this time, machinery was on display northwest of the railway line, south of the dairy cattle pavilions. Also in 1933, a dairy produce hall was built alongside the southwest side of the John Reid Pavilion.[47]

By 1933, the RNA was using part of Alexandria Park as a car park. Located south of Gregory Terrace between Exhibition Street and Alexandria Street/Sutton Street (latter no longer extant), this park was gazetted in 1888 and had been the site of a quarry. The northern two thirds of Alexandria Park was leased from the Brisbane City Council (BCC) by the RNA c1929-30; and the southern third of the park was leased from January 1937.The whole park was still leased by the RNA in 1954.[48]

As the economy recovered during the second half of the 1930s, a number of substantial improvements were made, with £17,000 spent between 1935 and 1936 alone.[49] A show camp building, to accommodate visiting ‘farm boys’, was built in 1935 on the western side of Alexandria Street, but this was relocated to the southeast side of Alexandria Park in 1948.[50] In 1936, Richard Gailey Jnr called tenders for: a Wool Hall (extant as ‘Building 8’ 2023), which was built in the northwest corner of Alexandria Park; a new Pig Pavilion (later called the Stock Pavilion, extant 2023), which was built on the site of the earlier pig and sheep pavilions on O’Connell Terrace; and additional horse stalls (extant 2023), located adjacent to Brooke Street north of the 1928 Horse Stalls. Gailey also designed a new brick and concrete Stock & Station Agents' offices (extant 2023); and an adjacent Anglican Church Mission dining hall (later the Stockman’s Bar and Grill and the Bushman’s Trading Post, extant 2023), located just northeast of the site of the previous dining hall. Both buildings were ready for the 1936 show. Also completed in 1936 were new concrete roads in Sideshow Alley; two masonry turnstile entrance buildings (extant 2023) on Bowen Bridge Road; and fat cattle pens in the northeast corner of Alexandria Park.[51]

Other improvements in the late 1930s included the Sugar Hall, a small masonry building next to the Diary Hall, opened in 1937 (extant 2023).[52] A new Industrial Pavilion (two facades extant 2023), designed by Richard Gailey Jnr, was also constructed on Gregory Terrace, and covered 3.5 acres (1.4ha). The two-storey brick entrance building on the east side of this pavilion opened in 1937, and the rest was completed in June 1939 at a total cost of £52,558. The earlier Exhibition Annexe (called the Industrial Pavilion by 1933) was demolished during 1938. A new Electricity Hall (later called the Hall of Science, demolished 1986), located at the corner of Gregory Terrace and Costin Street, was completed for the 1939 show – reputedly the first show pavilion in Australia dedicated entirely to electricity exhibits.[53]

World War II and the immediate post-war period

During World War II (WWII, 1939-45), the Exhibition Grounds were occupied by military authorities as a venue for training, accommodation and embarkation of troops, which interrupted some shows. In 1940 and again in 1941, the military vacated the grounds temporarily for the August Exhibition. Following the entry of Japan and the United States of America into the war in December 1941, American troops were stationed at the showgrounds. The Exhibition of 1942 was cancelled but was renewed in a limited fashion in 1943 and 1944. A large rodeo was also held at the Exhibition Grounds in late 1943, involving American and Australian troops.[54]

In the immediate post-war period, further expansion of the Exhibition Grounds’ facilities occurred, and the show’s popularity continued. Attendance at the Brisbane Exhibition rose from 509,131 in 1946, to 655,948 in 1949.[55] The RNA redeveloped Alexandria Park in 1948, after acquiring the two wartime buildings erected on the park to the south of the 1936 Wool Hall – a food store and a canteen services store (later the Horticulture Pavilion and the Poultry Pavilion respectively). A Caged Birds Pavilion was added between the horticulture and poultry pavilions in 1949, and a Fruit Pavilion was added between the horticulture and wool pavilions in 1951. A concrete viaduct (Marshalling Yard Stand, extant 2023), on the east side of the No.1 Show Ring, was constructed c1948, to allow animals to pass underneath into the ring and for the public to access Machinery Hill from Gregory Terrace. Around this time, a single-storey hipped-roof building was constructed at the south end of the Marshalling Yard Stand, and two-storey brick Lady Competitor’s Box (extant 2023) was built immediately behind the same stand.[56]

By 1946, mature shade trees, mostly weeping figs (Ficus benjamina), were growing throughout the Exhibition Grounds. These were a result of pre-WWII planting efforts, with trees sometimes relocated within the grounds as new facilities were created.[57] The weeping figs at Gregory Rest, on the south side of Gregory Terrace, existed by at least 1923.[58] Most of the other surviving fig trees on the Exhibition Grounds, and around the former perimeter of Alexandria Park, appear to have been planted during the burst of improvements during the 1930s. By 1936, plantings of weeping figs included those: around the No.2 Show Ring; south of the beef and pig pavilions on O’Connell Terrace (including those in what is now Stockman’s Rest); a newly formed picnic area on the old dining hall site between No.1 Show Ring and the 1936 dining hall (trees were transferred to this site); and along Alexandria Street in the northern part of Alexandria Park by then leased by the RNA.[59] Plantings of weeping figs also occurred around the southern section of Alexandria Park, including on St Pauls Terrace, between 1936 and 1946 (most likely soon after the 1937 RNA lease of this end of the park). More weeping figs were planted along the eastern half of the Gregory Terrace frontage of Alexandria Park between 1951 and 1960.[60]

1950s-1970s

The 1950s saw further improvements and works to the grounds, with the addition of concrete open seating for No.1 Show Ring near Machinery Hill in 1950 (extant 2023), and construction of a new Beef Cattle Pavilion on the site of the old one on O’Connell Terrace in 1950-1 (extant 2023). By 1951 another stable was added adjacent to the new horse exercise yard in the northeast corner of the showgrounds. Additional land, between Water Street and St Paul’s Terrace, was also acquired in the 1950s, followed by the removal of the existing houses. Improvements in 1958 included more seating on the northeast side of No.1 Show Ring (extant 2023), along with a concrete wood chopping arena on the west side of No.2 Show Ring. The demolition of 1885 grandstand occurred around this time. [61]

The popularity of the Exhibition continued to rise. A major event in the 1950s was the visit of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, during the 1954 Exhibition. In 1958, 733,000 people attended the show.[62]

In the following decade, improvements continued within the Exhibition Grounds. By 1965, all of Alexandria Park was officially owned by the RNA, and the Exhibition Grounds now covered 49 acres, 3 roods and 1.1 perches (20.1ha).[63] In 1962 the RNA moved its offices from the Queensland Primary Producers Association building in Adelaide Street to the Exhibition Grounds, and in 1964 a double pavilion, known as the Agricultural Hall and Douglas Wadley Pavilion, opened on land acquired along Constance Street. The Agricultural Hall housed district and junior farmer exhibits, while the Douglas Wadley Pavilion, housed dogs. A new Dairy Industry Hall (extant 2023) was erected in 1964, on the site of the 1933 Dairy Hall adjacent to the John Reid Pavilion, to coincide with a 1964 dairy industry symposium. By 1969 the building at the south end of the Marshalling Yard Stand had been replaced with a two-storey brick Ring Control and Broadcast Building (extant 2023). Money was borrowed to build the two-storey Frank Nicklin Pavilion, northwest of the Agricultural Hall, to accommodate government departments, which had long been involved with displays at the show.[64]

A popular and enduring aspect of the Exhibition – the animal nursery – was established in 1964 by RNA councillor Frank Robertson. At the 1972 Exhibition a purpose-built facility for the animal nursery was opened, in the easternmost of the dairy cattle pavilions, and named in honour of Robertson.[65]

Another perennial favourite has been Sideshow Alley. In the post-WWII period, the face of Sideshow Alley, traditionally home to the weird and wonderful, began to change. The tents and booths that promised bizarre wonders and exotica, ‘freak’ and peep shows, largely disappeared due to the age of television, to be replaced with high technology rides, tests of skill, and popular music entertainment.[66]

More facilities were added during the 1970s, including a chairlift between St Pauls Terrace and the wood chopping arena in 1970. A new Members Stand was constructed in 1972 (extant 2023), between the Ernest Baynes Stand and the John Macdonald Stand.[67]

Some controversy came to the Exhibition Grounds in 1971, during the South African Springbok Rugby team tour, as demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa were held in Brisbane and throughout Australia. No.1 Show Ring at the Exhibition Ground was commandeered to host test matches, as a safe distance could be maintained between spectators and would-be protesters. A two-metre-high chain wire fence was erected to separate spectators from players, and the Queensland Government declared a state of emergency from 13 July to 2 August.[68]

1980s-2000s

The Exhibition continued its popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, with further investment in infrastructure, and a record attendance of 891,232 in 1981.[69] Improvements and new buildings included the refurbishment of the John MacDonald Stand in 1985; the construction of a new Exhibition Building (extant 2023) on the site of the Hall of Science building in 1986; and the opening on 28 November 1988 of the Walter Burnett Building, adjacent to the Frank Nicklin Pavilion. Structures from the World Expo (1988) Fun Park were relocated to the fat cattle yards site in Alexandria Park (‘Expo Place’, extant in 2023) in 1991; and a new Dairy Goat Pavilion was built south of the easternmost dairy cattle pavilion in 1992.[70] The top seating tier of the Ernest Baynes Stand was removed in the early 1990s, while the wood chopping arena and the westernmost 1920s dairy cattle pavilion was demolished in the early 2000s, during construction of the Inner City Bypass.[71]

Since 2008

In 2008, Bowen Hills – including the area of the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds – was declared an Urban Development Area (later a Priority Development Area). In 2010 the RNA and the property and infrastructure company Lend Lease unveiled plans for the ‘Brisbane Showgrounds Regeneration Project’, a redevelopment of around one quarter of the site, comprising an upgrade to the showgrounds’ facilities and the inclusion of new office, retail and residential spaces. This involved the demolition and clearing of various buildings and areas – mostly concentrated south of Gregory Terrace.[72]

Redevelopment work began in April 2011. As a result, the 1937-9 Industrial Pavilion was extensively rebuilt as the Royal International Convention Centre, retaining only its northeast and southeast facades, while the 1909 Gregory Terrace Entry Building was moved further northeast along Gregory Terrace. A new dual-use multi-level carpark/animal pavilion (The Pavilion) was constructed northwest of the railway line, and the railway station was upgraded for regular use as part of the Cross River Rail project.

The site continues to host an annual Exhibition with a rural emphasis, and in 2016 the 1892 Exhibition Building was once more used for Exhibition displays – for the first time in 119 years.[73] Outside the Ekka period, the No.1 Show Ring, Royal International Convention Centre, 1986 Exhibition Building and John Reid Pavilion, and other RNA facilities, are used for a wide variety of events.

The continued popularity of the Royal Queensland Show is evidenced by: its ongoing operation since 1876 (only four annual exhibitions on this site have been cancelled: the 1919 Exhibition due to the influenza pandemic; in 1942, when the grounds were occupied by military personnel; and in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic); its recognition as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland (under the ‘event and festival’ category) as part of the state’s Q150 celebrations in 2009; and its sustained high attendance figures (400,000 people in 2023).[74]

In 2023, the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds retain a variety of show facilities from different periods, open spaces, and mature weeping fig shade trees. The site is a living legacy to decades of showcasing the best of Queensland’s primary and secondary industries, and entertaining Queenslanders. Over the years, generations of attendees and competitors have formed fond memories of various aspects of the event.[75]

Description

The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds are in the inner-city suburb of Bowen Hills, about 2km from Brisbane’s central business district. The place consists of a large complex of buildings and open spaces set on a sloping site, generally bounded by Bowen Bridge Road to the west, Brookes Street to the east, and O’Connell Terrace to the north.

The North Coast Railway Line and Gregory Terrace cross the showgrounds approximately east-west, splitting the place into three areas: the Main Showgrounds Area, between the railway and Gregory Terrace, with the show ring at its centre; the Sideshow Alley Area, northwest of the rail line; and the Petty’s Paddock Area, southeast of Gregory Terrace.

Features of the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds of State-level cultural heritage significance are:

• Main Showgrounds Area:
  • No.1 Show Ring (1887)-
    • John MacDonald Stand (1906, 1909),
    • Member’s Stand (1972),
    • Ernest Baynes Stand (1923),
    • RNA Council Stand (1923, 1930, 1958),
    • Former Commonwealth Bank Building (1929, 1947),
    • Machinery Hill Stands (1950, 1958, 1960s),
  • Former Industrial Pavilion Façade (1937-9),
  • Gregory Terrace Entry Building (1909, relocated),
  • Stockman’s Rest (trees by 1936),
  • Stock Agent’s Offices (1936),
  • Stockman’s Bar and Grill (1936),
  • Horse Stalls & Sales Ring (1928, 1936, 1951),
  • Stock Pavilion (former Pig Pavilion, 1936),
  • Beef Cattle Pavilion (1951),
  • O’Connell Terrace Gate Buildings (toilet 1930s-40s, pedestrian gate 1960s),
• Sideshow Alley Area:
  • No.2 Show Ring (1923),
  • Sideshow Alley (From 1906),
  • Sideshow Alley Gates on Bowen Bridge Road (1936),
• Petty’s Paddock Area:
  • John Reid Pavilion (1904, on site 1917),
  • Former Wool Hall (Building 8) (1936),
  • Dairy Industry Hall (1964),
  • Sugar Hall (1937),
  • Gregory Rest (trees by 1923),
• location on a railway line with a dedicated passenger station,
• passageways below the railway line and,
• textured concrete paving throughout.

Features of the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds not of state-level cultural heritage significance are:

• Royal International Convention Centre (2012),
• ‘Porte Cochere’ (2013),
• Marquee 1 (2012),
• Marquee 2 (2018),
• Rydges Hotel (2016),
• Affleck House (early 1970s),
• TAB Building (c1980s),
• Expo Place 1 (1988, moved to site 1990s),
• railway line and Exhibition passenger station including platforms, railway bridge structures, embankments and retaining walls, railway tracks and ties, and overhead powerlines and masts within the heritage boundary areas of the passageways below the railway line,
• recent landscaping including concrete paving, concrete garden beds and edges, metal sheet garden edges, concrete seating and steps, and concrete masonry retaining walls,
• metal bollards,
• recent Brisbane Showgrounds wayfinding signage,
• modern streetlamps, and
• Gregory Terrace, King Street, and Alexandria Street roadways including their bitumen and concrete paving, kerbs, streetlamps, signs, and traffic signals.

Main Showgrounds Area

The Main Showgrounds Area is the central portion of the Brisbane showgrounds with the No. 1 Show Ring at its centre. The area is bounded to the north by the railway line, to the south by Gregory Terrace, the Old Museum Building (original 1890s Exhibition Building) [QHR600209] to the west, and O’Connell Terrace and Brookes Street to the east. The No.1 Show Ring and its encircling stands and buildings are the central feature of the area, splitting the remainder into western and eastern halves. The western part of the Main Showgrounds Area contains the former Industrial Pavilion Façade, and the Gregory Terrace Entry Building. The eastern portion of the Main Showgrounds Area provides facilities primarily for exhibitors and animals including animal stabling, sleeping quarters, a bar and restaurant, and outdoor spaces.

Features of the Main Showgrounds Area also of state-level cultural heritage significance are:

• boundary walls; rendered masonry and face-brick to Gregory Terrace, concrete to Brookes Street, and part of O’Connell Terrace,
• pedestrian gateway and stairs to Gregory Terrace Boundary, and
• horse exercise yard at corner of O'Connell Terrace and Brookes Street.

No. 1 Show Ring

The No.1 Show Ring consists of an expanse of flat lawn with a gravel track circling its perimeter. It is oval in plan, narrower at its southwestern end. Located at the centre of the showgrounds, it is surrounded by open air seating and lawns, with buildings arranged in an arc from its southwestern to eastern ends including stand buildings, Ring Control and Broadcast Buildings, and the former Commonwealth Bank Building (now Governor’s Pavilion).

Features of the No.1 Show Ring also of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• oval shaped grass show ring,
• gravel track around perimeter of show ring,
• uncovered seating stands around perimeter of show ring,
• Ring Control and Broadcast building: two storey face-brick building and timber-framed and clad extension overlooking the show ring with rooms for commentators and controls for showing lights and equipment,
• Marshalling Yard Stand: concrete structure with animal stalls below a sloping platform accessed by large ramps and stairs, and attached two-storey brick Lady Competitor’s Box,
• ‘Heritage Hill’: sloping lawn area at southern side of show ring, and
• concrete platform at ringside between Member’s Stand and Ernest Baynes Stand.

John MacDonald Stand

Located on the northwest side of No.1 Show Ring, the John Macdonald Stand is a substantial brick grandstand structure with a Dutch gable roof. At the centre of the roof is a large ridge turret with four-faced clock which can be seen throughout the showground. Three sets of stairs provide access to the terraced timber seating. Below the stand is an arcaded walkway and a series of rooms.

Features of the John McDonald Stand of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale and materials: large, symmetrical, stand building, face-brick construction with terraced timber board floors, metal framed Dutch gable roof clad in corrugated metal sheets,
• prominent ridge turret at centre of roof with four clock faces,
• decorative balustrades, railings, and columns with brackets, capitals, and bands,
• painted sign with lettering: “JOHN MACDONALD STAND”,
• three sets of split stairs between stands and show ring,
• tiered timber seating with metal-framed timber slat benches with backrests,
• rear aisle with round arched openings to rear wall of stand, separated from seating by a step and timber balustrade,
• sunken walkway along front of stand,
• covered walkway to underside with face-brick arches,
• rooms below stand, opening to walkway and show ring including Country Women’s Association (CWA) room and its Tudor-style entry, bathrooms, first-aid room, locker rooms, and storage,
• original timber joinery including timber board floors, timber board doors and gates, double hung windows, and
• foundation stones to fronts of stairs.

Member’s Stand

The Member’s Stand is located on the western side of No.1 Show Ring, between the John MacDonald Stand and the Ernest Baynes Stand. The stand is a concrete stand structure with brick walls and a skillion roof. The terraced seating of the stand is accessed internally from a member’s bar located below the stand.

Features of the Member’s Stand of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale and materials: small stand building of concrete structure and floors cantilevered at the rear, face-brick walls, and a metal-framed skillion roof clad in pan and rib metal sheets,
• layout: upper level containing terraced seating accessed by three internal stairs, ground floor with small entry lobbies either end of a large member’s lounge bar, kitchen, and bathrooms,
• metal panel balustrades,
• moulded plastic/fibreglass seats,
• gated entry lobbies with hit-and-miss brickwork walls,
• early and original internal fit-outs including members bar and bathrooms,
• early and original doors and windows including timber-framed glazed double doors,
• “Royal Queensland Show” sign attached to southern side, and
• metal plaque commemorating opening of the stand attached to eastern wall.

Ernest Baynes Stand

The Ernest Baynes Stand is a brick stand between the RNA Council stand and the John Macdonald Stand. It has tiered timber seating arranged in four sections overlooking No.1 Show Ring, with a skillion roof (once part of an earlier upper seating tier).

The seating area is accessed from ringside via three sets of brick and concrete stairs with two sets of non-original stairs providing access to the upper levels of the stand from the rear. The sub-floor houses a dining room, commercial kitchen, offices, toilets, and other service areas. Access is via two sets of concrete stairs and a sunken walkway, which separates the main stairs to the seating area and the brick pilastered wall of the stand.

Features of the Ernest Baynes Stand of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale and materials: large, symmetrical, stand building of face-brick construction with terraced timber board floors; heavy metal-framed skillion roof (former upper-level seating tier) with metal columns; expressed columns in the brickwork,
• layout: tiered timber seating area with sub-floor accessed via sunken walkway along front of stand with low brick wall; three sets of split brick and concrete stairs connect seating to ringside,
• arched brick openings with window glazing at each end wall, and infilled openings to the rear wall with decorative rendered panels,
• painted sign with lettering: “ERNEST BAYNES STAND”,
• decorative balustrades, railings, and capped posts,
• metal framed timber slat benches with backrests,
• timber doors with glazing,
• metal framed windows with textured glass and bullnosed brick sills,
• internal staircase access to RNA Council Stand, and
• stone plaques to fronts of stairs.

RNA Council Stand

The RNA Council Stand is located at the southwest side of No.1 Show Ring, between the Ernest Baynes Stand and the former Commonwealth Bank Building, overlooking the show ring. It is a three-storeyed brick building with a hip roof and a small tower at the southeast corner of the building.

The building accommodates offices, meeting rooms, and Councillors' seating stand which is accessed through the building. The RNA Council Stand features high quality materials and fittings throughout. The building has been extended at several stages since construction to include an internal staircase at the northwest side, a new entrance and offices at the southwest side, and additional seating and office space on the northeast.

Features of the RNA Council Stand of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale and materials: three-storey masonry building with hip roofs clad in terracotta tile and a small tower at its southeast side, tiered stand with timber board and concrete floors, and skillion roof clad in corrugated metal sheets,
• layout: three floors connected by internal staircase:
  • ground floor, split level, the higher side containing an entry lobby, meeting rooms and offices either side, the lower with one board room and an exit to the showring,
  • first floor, function room and meeting rooms overlooking the tiered seating stand, kitchen, and central hall with bathrooms, and
  • second floor offices.
• extension to northwest side to include internal staircase with access to Ernest Baynes Stand, and expanded seating area,
• decorative detailing in cement render including banding to pilasters, and roughcast render,
• sign to southeast side of building with cement render lettering spelling ‘OFFICES OF THE ROYAL NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL & INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION OF Q’LAND’,
• high-quality timber joinery including glazed and panel doors, casement windows, staircase railings, and decorative architraves,
• high-quality interior finishes including decorative cornice, and sheet and batten ceilings,
• metal-framed, timber board seats to stand,
• textured glass panels to sides of stand, and
• face-brick gateway between stand building and ringside.

The Former Commonwealth Bank Building (now Governor’s Pavilion)

The Governor’s Pavilion is located to the south of No.1 Show Ring, adjacent to the RNA Council Stand. It is a single-storeyed rendered brick building with a hipped, terracotta-tiled roof. An arched entry door is located on the eastern side, and tall, arched windows with decorative keystones and false balustrades line the other walls.

Features of the Governor’s Pavilion (Former Commonwealth Bank) of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale and materials: single-storey rendered brick building, hip roof clad in terracotta tiles, and timber board floors,
• layout: single large room with part height partitions,
• original entry door on eastern side including its double door arrangement, terrazzo door sill,
• arched, steel-framed windows with decorative keystones and false balustrades,
• decorative treatments in render to exterior and plaster to interior including roundels, keystones, and cornice, and
• high-quality timber joinery including solid panel double doors, glazed double doors, skirting boards and architraves, and partition walls.

Machinery Hill Stands

Machinery Hill Stands are a series of uncovered stands, curved around the north-northeastern perimeter of No.1 Show Ring, between the northeast end of the John MacDonald Stand and the Marshalling Yard Stand. They are of concrete construction with brick and concrete walls. Simple seating is provided on either bare concrete terraces or slatted timber benches and is accessed from the rear via vomitorium and stairs. Below the stands are kiosks and a bar facing the arrivals railway station and plaza. There is a large sign at the back of the northern stand, with the lettering: MACHINERY HILL.

Features of Machinery Hill Stands of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: large, uncovered stand, curved around northern perimeter of show ring, bare concrete construction with face-brick and concrete walls,
• simple seating: unpainted concrete terraces, timber board benches, some with back rests,
• metal pipe and wire balustrades and railings,
• large sign at top of stand with lettering “MACHINERY HILL” printed on both sides,
• access to seating via vomitorium and concrete stairs, and
• kiosks and bar under the stands, open to rear.

Former Industrial Pavilion Façade

The façade of the former Industrial Pavilion is a decorative face-brick wall facing Gregory Terrace and ‘The Plaza’. The wall steps down in sections along the slope of Gregory terrace, transitioning from single to double-storey in height. Arched windows and large doorways are regularly spaced along the façade. The Royal International Convention Centre has been built behind the façade and is not of State-level cultural heritage significance.

Features of Former Industrial Pavilion Façade of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: face-brick wall, southeast elevation fronting Gregory Terrace, single storey at southwestern end and two storeys at northeast corner, with stepped parapets and round arched windows and doors. Northeast elevation fronting ‘The Plaza’ with round arched windows and doors, and balconies to first floor, large doors and windows at ground level,
• applied decoration in cement render including signage and panels to parapets, keystones, cornice, brackets and bands,
• timber joinery including fixed windows, double-hung windows, French doors and panel doors,
• metal-framed windows and doors, and
• glass block band above ground floor windows and doors of northeast elevation.

Gregory Terrace Entry Building

The entry building is a raised timber building fronting Gregory Terrace, with a verandah fronting No.1 Show Ring and an under-croft at ground level. The building has been relocated.

Features of the Entrance building of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale and materials: raised timber building with a Dutch gable roof clad with corrugated metal sheets, and ground-level under-croft, verandah to the upper floor facing the Showring with timber posts and balustrade, skillion awning with timber posts to Gregory Terrace,
• layout: ground level open on all sides; timber stairs access the upper floor verandah, interior opens to the verandah via French doors, timber-framed louvred and glazed windows, and
• pressed metal ceilings (interior).

Stockman’s Rest

Stockman’s Rest is a grassed open space area, formed as a level terrace on a gentle slope in the grounds. Positioned between the Stockman’s Bar and the Stock Pavilion, it is lined by mature fig tree planting and contains a small pavilion and a mature fig with an early stone garden wall towards the middle of the park.

Features of Stockman’s Rest of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, materials: Grassed, tree-lined open space terrace on a gentle slope, concrete stairs at western end and southern edge,
• Large weeping fig trees (Ficus benjamina) around perimeter and one at centre,
• octagonal-shaped pavilion with early roof,
• timber slatted seats, and
• stone garden bed edging around mature fig.

Stock Agent’s Offices

The Stock Agents' Office is located centrally to the animal enclosure buildings, immediately southeast of Stockman’s Rest. The structure is a single-storeyed masonry building, with basement. Rectangular in plan, it is constructed in dark face-brick with decorative details such as soldier courses. Its stepped parapets conceal a hip roof clad in corrugated metal sheets. The interior has a timber floor with rooms arranged either side of a central hall. The basement’s interior has toilets and a storeroom with brick walls, a concrete floor and some early timber columns.

Features of the Stock Agent’s Offices of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• Form, scale, and materials: single storey with basement, face-brick building, long and rectangular in plan, with hip roof clad in corrugated metal sheets,
• Layout: offices arranged either side of a central hall,
• decorative brickwork including stepped parapets, pilasters, corbelling around recessed entrances, and soldier courses,
• applied decoration in cement render including awning and brackets over northeast entrance, panels over northwest and southeast entrances,
• painted sign over northwest entrance spelling “STOCK AGENTS OFFICE”,
• timber joinery including timber board floors, timber board lined internal walls, timber framed casement windows, fixed windows, and timber board doors,
• original rainwater heads and recessed downpipes,
• competitor lockers in sub-floor storeroom, and
• original timber stumps in sub-floor.

Stockman’s Bar and Grill

The Stockman's Bar and Grill abuts the Stock Agents' Offices to its northeast side. It is a timber framed building, rectangular in plan, with saw-tooth roof in three bays. Its northwest elevation is brick with a stepped parapet. Internally the building consists of a large hall with concrete floors, a modern bar and kitchen is located at the northeast side and the southwest side opens to a large outdoor terrace and garden with large weeping fig trees. There is a timber verandah to the southeast side, and a large concrete and metal framed roof over the terrace.

Features of the Stockman’s Bar and Grill of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• Form, scale and materials: single storey, timber framed building, with concrete floors and a saw-tooth roof clad in corrugated metal sheets, the northwest elevation is brick with a stepped parapet,
• large, open internal space,
• garden and terraced outdoor area to southwest, and
• two large weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) trees.

Horse Stalls & Sale Ring

Located at the southeastern corner of the main showgrounds, the Horse Stalls are a group of stable buildings and a sale ring building arranged either side of a laneway. The stalls and sale ring are of timber-frame construction with weatherboard, flat sheet, or corrugated metal sheet cladding and saw-tooth roofs.

The stable buildings along the Gregory Terrace side of the laneway stalls are built to the boundary, forming a wall, stepping down the slope of the street, each stable painted with a different mural. The stable buildings north of the laneway are arranged in an L-shape plan around the sale ring building. The stable buildings contain stalls with sleeping quarters above.

The Sale Ring building is single storey with stalls in a subfloor area at the southern corner. The sale ring consists of covered stands arranged in a U-shape plan around a dirt-floor sale ring at the centre.

Features of the Horse Stalls & Sale Ring of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• Stable Buildings:
  • form, scale, and materials: single storey, timber-framed and clad stable buildings, top portions of walls open, with saw-tooth roofs clad in corrugated metal sheets, concrete walls to Gregory Terrace, and concrete floors, southern stalls arranged in a single row along the Gregory Terrace boundary, northern stalls arranged in a row wider at the eastern end forming an L-shaped plan,
  • layout: Each building consists of a series of individual sections, each with its own entrance and stalls with sleeping quarters above arranged either side of a central aisle,
  • toilet block at western end of Gregory Terrace building including masonry walls with roughcast render finish and face-brick pilasters, fixed timber louvre vents.
• Sale Ring Building:
  • form, scale, and materials: timber-framed and clad building, single-storey with sub-floor space at southern corner, U-shaped in plan, with skillion roof clad in corrugated metal sheets, and dirt floors to sale ring, and
  • layout: Seating stands arranged in U-shape around central rectangular sale ring, stalls in subfloor area.

Stock Pavilion (former Pig Pavilion)

The Stock Pavilion is located north of Stockman’s Rest and abuts the eastern side of the Beef Cattle Pavilion. It is a timber framed and clad building with a saw-tooth roof clad in corrugated metal sheets. The upper sections of most walls are open or enclosed with timber lattice or metal wire mesh. The concrete boundary wall to O’Connell Terrace forms the northern wall of the building. Internally, the floors are concrete, and many walls are unlined. Animal stalls occupy most of the building, comprising low walls with steel rings for tethering animals and hay racks above. Along the northern perimeter of the building are sleeping quarters, with hatches to more accommodation above, of timber framed and board lined partitions, with lockers on the opposite wall of a narrow corridor. These walls feature graffiti made by the occupants of the sleeping quarters over many decades. A dining hall, storage room, and cattle wash area occupy the three extensions to the southern side of the building.

Features of the Stock Pavilion of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale and materials: large, single-storey, timber framed and clad building, with concrete floors and a saw-tooth roof clad in corrugated metal sheets, gable roofs over southern entrances, concrete wall to northern side,
• layout: large, open space with livestock stalls, small double level sleeping quarters and lockers along northern side, three wings to southern side with dining hall, storage, and cattle wash areas,
• top portions of walls open or enclosed with timber lattice or metal wire mesh,
• batten and sheet gable ends above southern entrances,
• livestock stalls including their low walls with metal rings and timber shelves above,
• sleeping quarters and lockers including their: small, enclosed dormitories with double level arrangement, timber ladder to access upper level, partition walls lined with timber boards or sheet unpainted to interiors, timber board or panel doors, and
• timber cabinets and benches in dining hall.

Beef Cattle Pavilion

The Beef Cattle Pavilion is located at the northern corner of the main showgrounds area, north of the Machinery Hill Stands. The building is a large, rectangular, double-storeyed concrete structure with face-brick wall and a saw-tooth roof. Its northern wall is built to the O’Connell Terrace boundary. The main entrances are located on the southern side, a large door at ground level is located below a double staircase providing access to the first-floor entrance. Large, sliding timber doors at ground level and a ramp to the first floor on the western side as well as roller doors on the northern side provide access for cattle and vehicles to both levels of the building. Internally, both levels are large, open spaces with exposed concrete columns and beams, and accommodation for cattle and their owners.

Features of the Beef Cattle Pavilion of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: large, rectangular, double-storeyed concrete structure exposed to interior with face-brick walls, concrete floors, and saw-tooth roof clad in corrugated metal sheets,
• layout: bays of cattle hitching rails and dormitories either side of a central aisle,
• cattle, vehicle and equipment access to both levels via large timber sliding doors at ground level, ramp to first floor and large metal sliding door at western side, large roller doors to first floor at O’Connell Terrace,
• southern elevation including its: exposed concrete columns, awning windows with vertical stack bond brick spandrels, double concrete stair to first floor entrance, ground floor entrance under stairs, and
• cattle stalls and hitching rails.

O’Connell Terrace Gate Buildings

At the eastern end of O'Connell Terrace is a large vehicle gate. To the western side of the gate is a toilet block constructed of masonry with roughcast render finish and a gable roof clad in corrugated metal sheets. To the eastern side is a timber framed and clad pedestrian gate.

Features of the Toilet Block of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• wide vehicle gateway,
• concrete driveway with gridded texture,
• toilet block: small, single-story masonry building with roughcast render finish and a gable roof clad in corrugated metal sheets, and
• pedestrian gate: small, single-story timber frame and clad building abutting concrete boundary wall, with flat roof, and large doorways.

Sideshow Alley Area

The Sideshow Alley Area of the Brisbane Showgrounds is located on the northwestern side of the railway line, bounded on its other sides by Bowen Bridge Road, Bowen Park, and ’The Pavilion’ building at its northeast. The Sideshow Alley Area contains mostly open spaces used for various activities and temporary attractions during the Royal Queensland Show and other events.

No.2 Show Ring

No.2 Show Ring is located at the northeastern end of the area, between both passageways under the railway. It is an open, grassed area. Three large weeping fig trees line the southwest boundary of the show ring.

Features of No 2 Show Ring of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• Open, flat show ring area,
• lawn,
• three large weeping fig trees (Ficus benjamina) at southwestern end.

Sideshow Alley

Sideshow Alley is located in the northwest end of the exhibition grounds and is bounded by Bowen Bridge Road on the west, Bowen Park on the northwest, No.2 Show Ring to the northeast, and the railway line to the southeast. Entry to Sideshow Alley is via the 1930s gates from Bowen Bridge Road or through the two passageways below the railway line. Sideshow Alley is a large expanse of open, level bitumen pavement, accommodating temporary attractions and events during the Royal Queensland Show and other events.

Features of Sideshow Alley of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• open, flat expanse of bitumen pavement,
• location and extent: between Bowen Bridge Road to southwest, No.2 Show Ring to northeast, Bowen Park to northwest, and railway line to southeast, and
• provision of services for show rides and attractions.

Sideshow Alley Gates on Bowen Bridge Road

Located in the western corner of Sideshow Alley, adjacent to Bowen Park, the Sideshow Alley gates are a pair of single-storeyed brick structures either side of a large vehicle gate. Each building has a decorative façade facing Bowen Bridge Road, with prominent stepped parapet, pilasters, and face-brick diamonds. Each building has ticket windows and a pedestrian gate under a small, cantilevered awning. A large metal gate closes the driveway located between both buildings.

Features of the Sideshow Alley Gates of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: pair of small, single-storey buildings, either side of a large gate, face-brick walls with hip roofs clad in corrugated metal sheets, both buildings are rectangular in plan, the southern building has a triangular wing attached to its western end,
• layout: small, enclosed ticket offices to outer ends of each building, pedestrian gates at ends closest to driveway,
• decorative treatments to elevations facing Bowen Bridge Road including stepped parapets, pilasters, alternating bullnose and square bricks to tops of parapets, brick diamonds, and
• small, cantilevered awnings over ticket windows and pedestrian gates.

Petty’s Paddock Area

The Petty’s Paddock area consists of buildings, open spaces, and plantings south of Gregory Terrace. These include Dairy Industry Hall, Sugar Hall, John Reid Pavilion, Former Wool Hall (Building 8) fronting Gregory Terrace and open spaces and plantings such as Gregory Rest at the corner of King Street and Gregory terrace, and large weeping fig trees.

Features of Petty’s Paddock Area also of state-level cultural heritage significance include:

• large weeping fig trees (Ficus benjamina) to Alexandria Street, Gregory Terrace, and St Paul’s Terrace.

John Reid Pavilion

The John Reid Pavilion is located at the corner of Gregory Terrace and Alexandria Terrace, abutting the Dairy Industry Hall and Sugar Hall on its southwestern side. The pavilion is a large hall structure with a gable roof and lower skillion roofs around three sides. The exterior walls are clad in timber weatherboard. The interior consists of a single large hall with exposed metal frame structure. The front wall to Gregory Terrace has been replaced in concrete.

Features of John Reid Pavilion of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: large, single-storey hall building, metal-frame structure with timber framed and weatherboard clad external walls, central gable roof with lower skillion roofs on three sides clad in corrugated metal sheets, and concrete floors throughout,
• layout: a single, large hall space with central hall space under taller gable roof and aisles around three sides under skillions roofs,
• metal frame structure exposed to interior spaces, some columns stamped “TOOWOOMBA FOUNDRY”,
• clerestory windows between gable and skillion roofs, and
• large doorways at northern and southern ends.

Former Wool Hall (Building 8)

The Former Wool Hall is located at the corner of Alexandria Street and Gregory Terrace, occupying the northern end of Alexandria Park. The building is a large pavilion with a central gable roof and skillion roofs either side. The structure’s metal columns and timber roof framing are exposed to the interior and clad on the exterior with corrugated metal sheets. One face-brick wall remains at the Alexandria Street side of the pavilion. It has large window openings and doorway, and fixed louvre vents are located at each end of the wall.

Features of Former Wool Hall (Building 8) of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: large pavilion, with a central gable roof and skillion roofs either side clad in corrugated metal sheets, rectangular in plan with timber and metal framed structure, face-brick wall to western side, and concrete floors,
• timber and metal structure exposed to interior,
• fixed timber louvre vents at northern and southern ends of wall, and
• sign fixed to western wall printed with number “8”.

Dairy Industry Hall

The Dairy Industry Hall is a long, narrow, two-storey building abutting the southwest side of the John Reid Pavilion. The building is of concrete and metal frame construction with face-brick walls, a sign on the Gregory Terrace side spells the words "Dairy Industry Hall" in steel lettering. The building has a saw-tooth roof. The building’s western wall is glazed, open to Gregory Rest and ‘Primary Street’ laneway.

Features of the Dairy Industry Hall of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: two storey, concrete and metal framed structure building long and rectangular in plan with saw-tooth roof clad in corrugated metal sheets, face-brick walls to three sides, recessed and glazed elevation to western side, concrete floors to ground floor and timber board floors to first floor,
• metal roof framing exposed to interior of first floor,
• staircases at norther and southern ends,
• original metal frame windows and doors, and
• metal lettering on northern elevation spelling “DAIRY INDUSTRY HALL”

Sugar Hall

The Sugar Hall abuts the southern end of the Dairy Industry Hall, facing on to ‘Primary Street’ laneway. The hall is a small brick structure, its rendered front elevation has a pediment concealing a gable roof clad in corrugated metal sheets. An awning on the front elevation shelters two large doorways either side of a central servery. Internally, the hall is one space with concrete floors and timber roof trusses exposed to the interior.

Features of the Sugar Hall of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• form, scale, and materials: small, masonry hall building with timber framed gable roof clad in corrugated metal sheets, the western elevation is rendered, and floors are concrete,
• layout: single, open hall space,
• decorated western elevation with gabled pediment, pilasters, simple cornice and roughcast render finish,
• skillion awning to western side,
• two large doorways and servery on western side, and
• fixed timber louvre vents to gable end.

Gregory Rest

Gergory Rest is an area of open space along the southern side of Gregory terrace, across from the showgrounds main entrance. The area is bounded on its southeast by the Kings Co-op buildings, and the to the southwest by the Rydges Hotel. The open space is shaded by two large weeping fig trees and contains recent plantings, retaining walls, seating and decks.

Features of Gergory’s Rest of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

• open space on southern side of Gregory Terrace,
• two large weeping fig trees (Ficus benjamina), and
• rendered masonry gate posts and metal gates.

References

[1] Public Map, Cultural Heritage Database and Register, Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, https://culturalheritage.datsip.qld.gov.au/achris/public/public-registry/home (accessed 18 October 2023); QHR 602493 ‘Victoria Park’.  According to the early European settler Tom Petrie, the Exhibition Grounds were part of the ‘York’s Hollow’ (Barrambin) campsite of the ‘Duke of York’s Clan’ (‘Old Museum Building: Conservation Study’, Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle Architects, for the Department of Works, Queensland, 1989, p.7).
[2] QHR 601523 ‘Bowen Park’; Resources, Slater’s Pocket Map of the City of Brisbane, 1865; Resources, City of Brisbane, 8 Chains to an Inch map, 1874. In 1863 the Acclimatisation Society was granted 32 acres (later adjusted on the Deed of Grant to 33 acres (13.4ha)) bounded by Bowen Bridge Road on the west, O'Connell Terrace on the north, and Gregory Terrace on the south; and acquired an additional 11.5 acres (4.7ha) of adjoining land to the east (extending to Brookes Street) in 1866 (Department of Resources, Deed of Grant 10017164, 11 July 1863, and Deed of Grant 10082071, 4 January 1866; Resources, Survey Plan B358, 1865, and Survey Plan B3172, 1882). The creek crossed Bowen Bridge Road and curved northeast, then southeast, crossing Gregory Terrace near today’s No.1 Show Ring and continuing southeast towards Ann Street in Fortitude Valley.
[3] State Library of Queensland, Negative 42351, ‘Bird's eye view of the Queensland Exhibition at Bowen Park, Brisbane, in 1876’ (drawing looking from near site of hospital, looking southeast).
[4] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan for the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland’, Allom Lovell Architects Brisbane, December 2004, pp.4-6.
[5] F Mills, The Ekka: the people and events of Brisbane's Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association Show, Spring Hill, Queensland, Publishing Services, 1990, p.13.
[6] Mills, The Ekka, pp.13-14. Patrick Robertson Gordon was supported in his efforts by Gresley Lukin, editor of the Brisbane Courier and the Queenslander, and agricultural agent John Fenwick. The inaugural meeting was presided over by the Governor, Sir William Wellington Cairns, and Arthur Hunter Palmer, later premier of Queensland, was elected to the chair. A constitution for the Association was drafted by the headmaster of the Brisbane Grammar School, Thomas Harlin.
[7] Brisbane Courier, 23 October 1875, p.4.
[8] Mills, The Ekka, pp.14-15; ‘Old Museum Building: Conservation Study’, p.9-10; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.8-10; Brisbane Courier, 3 August 1876, p.2; ‘The opening of the National Society’s Exhibition’, Brisbane Courier, 23 August 1876, pp.5-6; Australia Town and Country Journal, 24 August 1876, p.340. The 1876 drawing of the site includes two show rings north of the Exhibition Building (State Library of Queensland, Negative 42351, ‘Bird's eye view of the Queensland Exhibition at Bowen Park, Brisbane, in 1876’).
[9] Mills, The Ekka, pp.14-15; ‘The opening of the National Society’s Exhibition’, Brisbane Courier, 23 August 1876, pp.5-6; ‘Ekka People's Day – August 10, 2024’, https://nationaltoday.com/ekka-peoples-day/ (accessed 16 November 2023). As at 7 December 2023, other Queensland regions, towns and local government areas which have a public holiday on one day during the Ekka include: postcode 4671 of the Bundaberg Region; City of Redland; Gladstone Region; Goomeri Township; the Lockyer Valley Region; Logan City; the Moreton Bay Region; the Biggenden, Eidsvold, Gayndah, Mount Perry and Monto Areas of the North Burnett Region; the Scenic Rim Region; the Shire of Balonne; the Shire of Cherbourg; Somerset Region; South Burnett Region; part of the Toowoomba Regional Council area comprising Yarraman, Upper Yarraman & Cooyar; and Tara and District in the Western Downs Region (‘2024 show holiday dates’, https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/travel/holidays/show, accessed 7 December 2023).
[10] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.13, 22.
[11] The land leased to the Association in 1879 was noted on the 1863 and 1866 Deeds of Grant to the Acclimatisation Society: 18 acres, 1 rood and 29 perches from the 1863 grant (Resources, Deed of Grant 10017164, 11 July 1863) and 8 perches from the 1866 grant (Resources, Deed of Grant 10082071, 4 January 1866).
[12] Mills, The Ekka, p.16.
[13] Although an 1882 re-survey of the 44.5 acres between Bowen Bridge Road, Gregory Terrace, Brookes Street and O'Connell Terrace referred to the whole area as ‘Grant to Acclimatization Society’ (Resources, Survey Plan B3172, 1882), an 1887 map confirms the Association as utilizing all the land southeast of the railway (Resources, Map of Brisbane, 20 chain series, Sheet 1, 1887). The railway line to Sandgate, which opened in 1882, was later re-routed via Central Station, Brunswick Street and Bowen Hills, but the Exhibition Line opened each year during the August show (Mills, The Ekka, p.15; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.26).
[14] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.27; Mills, The Ekka, p16; ‘The Exhibition’, Brisbane Courier 18 August 1885, p.5. The first grandstand was designed by F D G Stanley.
[15] Mills, The Ekka, pp.16-17.
[16] ‘The Jubilee Exhibition. The improvements’, Telegraph (Brisbane), 11 August 1887, p.3 (swamp between the old ring and the hill, crossed by a bridge, filled in to form the new ring); ‘Royal National Jubilee Exhibition August 1925’, Brisbane Courier, 4 August 1925, p.22 (a huge pipe sewer was constructed, allowing the reclamation of the land forming the ‘Exhibition oval’). A timber residence, designed by G H M Addison, was also constructed at the corner of O'Connell Terrace and Brookes Street for the Secretary of the Association by 1887. This was demolished between 1946 and 1951 (‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.27. Resources, aerial photographs BCC000134901, 31 May 1946; and BCC000539335, 1 August 1951).
[17] ‘A Disastrous Fire’ Brisbane Courier, 14 June 1888, p.6.
[18] ‘Old Museum Building: Conservation Study’, pp.10-11; ‘The Exhibition. Judging Day’, The Queenslander, 18 August 1888, p.266.
[19] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.28; ‘Old Museum Building: Conservation Study’, p.11; Resources, Survey Plan B3242, 1891; Resources, Deed of Grant 10835101, 17 June 1892 (17 acres and 28 perches (7ha) to Acclimatisation Society). The railway easement took up about 4 acres (1.6ha) of land.
[20] ‘Old Museum Building: Conservation Study’, pp.12-14. By the time of the 1891 Exhibition, the Exhibition Grounds included the new Exhibition Building; a number of small pavilions behind it (to the northeast); horse stalls in a line between Gregory Terrace and the railway line; the 1885 grandstand and the show ring; an 1887 sheep shed east of the ring; the secretary's residence, and animal stalls around the boundaries of the grounds (‘Plan of the Exhibition Grounds, Bowen Park’, The Queenslander, 15 August 1891, p.309).
[21] Mills, The Ekka, p.17.
[22] ‘Old Museum Building: Conservation Study’, p.17, and fold-out illustration 30 (layout of the 1897 exhibition exhibits); ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.12, 29; ‘International Exhibition. Opened in Brisbane yesterday’, Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser, 6 May 1897, p.3; ‘Exhibition Buildings. National Association. Government take possession’, Darling Downs Gazette, 29 December 1897, p.2; ‘Annual Exhibition’, The Telegraph, 10 August 1898, p.4. The Exhibition Concert Hall continued to serve as a concert venue, but the remainder of the Exhibition Building was refurbished for the Queensland Museum, which moved to the building from William Street in 1899 (‘Old Museum Building: Conservation Study’, pp.21-2).
[23] Mills, The Ekka, p.19.
[24] State Library of Queensland, Negative 21894 ‘New office building at the Exhibition Grounds’, 1905; Plan of Exhibition Grounds, ‘The Exhibition of 1906. A retrospect’, Brisbane Courier, 8 August 1906, p.9.
[25] Mills, The Ekka, pp.23, 93; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.30; ‘The National Exhibition. A visit to the grounds’, Brisbane Courier, 7 July 1906, p.10; Plan of Exhibition Grounds, ‘The Exhibition of 1906. A retrospect’, Brisbane Courier, 8 August 1906, p.9; ‘The Jubilee Exhibition. A visit to the grounds’, Brisbane Courier 27 July 1909, p.5 (The final bay of the 1906 stand, to reach its full 2500 capacity). A 1907 photo of the building shows it was shorter at the east end at that time (State Library of Queensland, Image number API-105-0001-0007, ‘Grandstand at the main arena of the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds, 1907’). More concrete seating was constructed, immediately in front of the stand, before WWII (State Library of Queensland Image number 10091-0001-0016 ‘Hereford cattle in the Grand Parade at the Royal National Show, Bowen Hills, 1935-1940’).
[26] ‘The National Exhibition. A visit to the grounds’, Brisbane Courier, 7 July 1906, p.10; ‘The Exhibition of 1906. A retrospect’, Brisbane Courier, 8 August 1906, p.9 (plan of Exhibition Grounds). By 1906, cattle stalls were concentrated around the northeastern perimeters of the grounds, while the horse stalls were located in the southwest, near the Exhibition Annexe. A new dining hall was apparently built on the old site of the machinery exhibits, so machinery had been exhibited at the east end of the grounds even prior to 1906. For the 1906 show, a telephone link was also established from the Secretary’s office to an event board on the Gregory Terrace side of the ring, as well as to the centre of the ring.
[27] Mills, The Ekka, p.20; ‘Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Detail Plan No.213’, 1916 (this plan includes some buildings added post-1916). Petty’s Paddock did not extend all the way to Costin Street. 
[28]‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.32-3; ‘The Jubilee Exhibition. A visit to the grounds’, Brisbane Courier 27 July 1909, p.5. A section of the council room building was utilized as a Post Office by August 1933, while to the east stood a separate two storied timber building, extant by 1916, which was a police station by 1933 (‘Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Detail Plan No.215’, 1916; ‘Exhibition Grounds at a glance’, The Steering Wheel and Society and Home, Volume 1 No.9, August 1933, p.17).
[29] Mills, The Ekka, p.21; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.33; ‘Brisbane Exhibition 1914. Ground improvements’, Telegraph, 8 August 1914, p.13; ‘Cattle. Dairy breeds’, The Telegraph, 12 August 1914, p.3; ‘Brisbane Exhibition 1914’ (photographs), Queenslander, 15 August 1914, p.24. Animal stalls are shown along the O’Connell Terrace side of the grounds, both sides of the railway, in 1919 (Photograph 6, in FW Thiel, Brisbane from the air: Illustrated, Brisbane, FW Thiel, 1919).
[30] ‘Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Detail Plan No.211’, 1916; ‘Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Detail Plan No.213’ 1916.
[31] ‘Exhibition Grounds an enlistment depot’, Brisbane Courier, 12 August 1916, p.4. In 1917, Richard Gailey Architects designed dog and horse pavilions for Petty’s Paddock, adjacent to the 1914 Sheep, Pig and Poultry Pavilion (Brisbane City Council, Registers of New Buildings, April 1914-July 1920; ‘Motor exhibits at the show’, Brisbane Courier, 4 August 1925, p.27).
[32] Mills, The Ekka, p.22; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.42. Afleck House was named after Association councillor W L Affleck, who raised the finance for the construction. The original Affleck house is described as ‘wood’ in Survey Field Book 118c (1914-1924), associated with Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Detail Plan No.216, covering the central part of the showgrounds. Although this detail plan is dated 1916, it includes the grandstands added to the site in the early 1920s, which were recorded in the 1914 Survey Field Book during a 1924 return visit by the surveyor.
[33] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.33; ‘Austral Association, Toowoomba. The new hall’, Brisbane Courier, 22 October 1904, p.14; ‘Austral Hall’, Darling Downs Gazette, 28 January 1918, p.4; ‘Brisbane Exhibition. Official Opening Day’, The Telegraph, 15 August 1918, p.9. As well as being a memorial concert hall, Austral Hall was originally intended to be used as a drill shed and military headquarters for the Darling Downs district. It was 174ft long by 108ft wide (53m by 33m) with wrought-iron roof trusses supported on wrought-iron columns.
[34] Mills, The Ekka, p.22.
[35] Mills, The Ekka, pp.22-3; ‘Influenza here’, The Daily Mail, 3 May 1919, p.8; ‘Isolation hospital on Exhibition Grounds’, Darling Downs Gazette, 7 May 1919, p.4; ‘Isolation hospital’, The Telegraph, 7 May 1919, p.5; ‘Control transferred’, The Telegraph, 26 May 1919, p.6.
[36] Mills, The Ekka, p.23.
[37] For example, a timber show hall was erected c1921 in Petty’s Paddock, and a brick Exhibition Building, designed by architects Atkinson & Conrad, was constructed in 1923 for Lever Bros of Sydney (Brisbane City Council, Registers of New Buildings, August 1920 - September 1925).
[38] Mills, The Ekka, p.93; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.34; Architectural and Building Journal of Queensland, 7 September 1922, p.11, 7 December 1922, pp.17-18, and 7 February 1923, pp.10-11; ‘New double stand. Erecting at Exhibition. Turning the first sod’, Week, 25 August 1922, p.32; ‘Showground improvements. New oval for judging’, Daily Standard, 13 April 1923, p.3; ‘The Exhibition’, Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 25 May 1925, p.12. The construction of the new dairy show ring reflected the growing importance of the dairy industry to Queensland in the inter-war period.
[39] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.34; ‘Picturesque Bowen Park. Grounds in excellent order’, Daily Mail, 6 August 1923, p.11.
[40] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.35-36; State Library of Queensland negative number 65552 ‘Aerial view of the Exhibition Ground and surrounding area, Brisbane, ca 1925’ (actually 1923; this oblique aerial photograph of the showgrounds, taken from the north, appears in Commonwealth Bank Archives, ‘Brisbane Royal National Exhibition’, Bank Notes, September 1923, p.28); Brisbane City Council, Registers of New Buildings, February-October 1927, and November 1927-October 1928; ‘Motor exhibits at the show’, Brisbane Courier, 4 August 1925, p.27; ‘Exhibition Grounds at a glance’, The Steering Wheel and Society and Home, Volume 1 No.9, August 1933, p.17. Buildings visible in the 1923 aerial included a sizable refreshment building and a small Railways Tourist Bureau kiosk, located between the Exhibition Annexe and the Ernst Baynes Stand. In Petty’s Paddock, a new motor pavilion was constructed on Water Street for the 1925 show; and in 1927 improvements in this area included a Dog Pavilion at the corner of Costin and Water Streets (replacing the existing one), plus a meat exhibition pavilion and a lavatory block. In 1928 show pavilions were erected for General Motors Pty Ltd, Brisbane Cars & Tractors Ltd, the Vacuum Oil Co. (concrete structure in Petty’s Paddock), the Kodak Company Ltd (north side of refreshments building).
[41] Mills, The Ekka, p.93; ‘Exhibition Grounds at a glance’, The Steering Wheel and Society and Home, Volume 1 No.9, August 1933, p.17; Resources, aerial photographs BCC000134901, 31 May 1946 and BCC000539335, 1 August 1951. The 1933 plan of the grounds shows a wool exhibition was also present in the 1914 Sheep, Pig and Poultry Pavilion in Petty’s Paddock, which was by then also used for motor exhibits.
[42] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.35. Prior to 1928 the creche was located on the main showgrounds north of Gregory Terrace. The creche was demolished in 2023.
[43] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.35; ‘Bank rushed’, Truth, 10 August 1947, p.19. Although it was not uncommon for banks to establish agencies at showgrounds around Australia, this building is believed to be the only 'exhibition' bank building specifically constructed for the Commonwealth Bank.
[44] Mills, The Ekka, pp.25-6. An earlier successful event on the main show ring was held in July 1899, when Queensland defeated England in a rugby union match, in front of 10,000 spectators (‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.23).
[45] ‘Brisbane Exhibition. Concluding sessions’, Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 15 August 1932, p.4; ‘Best yet. Records set by the year’s Brisbane Exhibition’, Warwick Daily News, 22 August 1938, p.4.
[46] Mills, The Ekka, p.25.
[47] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.37; Brisbane City Council, Registers of New Buildings, April 1932-August 1934; ‘Exhibition Grounds at a glance’, The Steering Wheel and Society and Home, Volume 1 No.9, August 1933, p.17.
[48] Queensland Government Gazette, Volume XLIV, 1888, p.546; Resources, Survey Plan B3700, 1923 (faintly annotated with later dates of RNA leases of both sections of Alexandria Park: 1 January 1930 (or 1932) for lease in north, and 1 January 1937 for lease in south), and Survey Plan RP47126, 1929 (division of Alexandria Park into two lease areas); ‘Record Show. RNA expectations’ Brisbane Courier, 25 April 1929, p.13 (BCC had offered a 20 year lease of part of Alexandria Park to RNA); ‘Exhibition Grounds at a glance’, The Steering Wheel and Society and Home, Volume 1 No.9, August 1933, p.17; ‘How Brisbane might solve a dual problem of space. A two-way scheme that could ease parking & help R.N.A.’, Brisbane Telegraph, 26 August 1954, p.21. Cars were parking in the northern part of Alexandria Park during the Ekka as early as 1923 (State Library of Queensland negative number 65552 ‘Aerial view of the Exhibition Ground and surrounding area, Brisbane, ca 1925’ [sic: 1923]). A cycling velodrome had been opened within the southern third of Alexandria Park in 1929 but this was demolished in 1933 (‘Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Detail Plan No.211’, 1916 (Velodrome included on map as a later addition); ‘Velodrome. Successful Opening’, Brisbane Courier, 16 September 1929, p.6; ‘Future of Velodrome’, Daily Standard, 15 March 1933, p.5).
[49] ‘£17,000 improvements for Royal Show’, Telegraph, 10 August 1936, p.10.
[50] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.35-6; Mills, The Ekka, p.33 (farm boys camp building moved 1948). A ‘show camp’ was first held in 1928, to accommodate children visiting the Exhibition from the country. The show camp building was demolished in 2023.
[51] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.37-8; Brisbane City Council, Registers of New Buildings, February 1936-March 1937; ‘£17,000 programme at Exhibition’, The Courier Mail, 11 February 1936, p.6; ‘Big improvements at the showground’, Telegraph, 30 May 1936, p.4; ‘New pig pavilion at Exhibition’, Queenslander, 16 July 1936, p.43; ‘£17,000 improvements for Royal Show’, Telegraph, 10 August 1936, p.10.
[52] ‘Many new features at Bowen Park’, The Courier Mail, 9 August 1937, p.23.
[53] Mills, The Ekka, pp.30-1, 93; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.38-9; ‘New £8000 pavilion for Brisbane Exhibition’, The Telegraph, 26 January 1937, p.2; ‘The Royal National Electricity Hall’ Courier Mail, 18 April 1939, p.8; ‘Many new features at Bowen Park’, The Courier Mail, 9 August 1937, p.23.
[54] Mills, The Ekka, pp.29, 32; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp. 39-40; ‘Next Sunday’s Big Rodeo’, The Telegraph, 26 October 1943, p.6; National Archives of Australia, Item 3278790, ‘Brisbane Exhibition Ground - Site Plan’, 1944). Showgrounds and racecourses with their ovals and existing toilet facilities were favoured places to temporarily accommodate service personnel. The 1944 plan of the Exhibition Grounds indicates the presence at that time of the training depot, along with the 4th Australian Camp Hospital (in the Ernest Baynes Stand and Industrial Pavilion area), 31st Forward Ordnance Depot, and 4th Australian Base Supply Depot. American forces were using the westernmost dairy cattle pavilion along McConnell Terrace for storage. Troops at the Exhibition Grounds slept in pig and cattle pens; the bars beneath the John MacDonald Stand became wet canteens and there were prefabricated huts on Stockman’s Rest.
[55] Mills, The Ekka, pp.33.
[56] Mills, The Ekka, pp.33, 93; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.41; ‘RNA must build ‘up’, Courier Mail, 12 August 1948, p.1 (viaduct); ‘Major show improvements’, Brisbane Telegraph, 16 October 1948, p.3; ‘Building Trade Exhibitors at the Show: where to find them’ (site plan) in Architecture, Building, Engineering, Supplement, 1 August 1955, p.3; Resources, aerial photographs BCC000134901, 31 May 1946, and BCC000539335, 1 August 1951 (Marshalling Yards Stand, Lady Competitor’s Box, and building at the south end of the Marshalling Yards Stand extant by 1951). The entry and steps (extant 2023) from Gregory Terrace near the south end of the Marshalling Yard Stand may also have been constructed by 1951; it is not apparent in State Library of Queensland Image number 10091-0001-0042, ‘Royal National Show crowds walking on Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, 1935-1940’ (which also shows a higher wall).
[57] ‘New features. Ground improvements’, Daily Mail, 27 July 1920, p.9; ‘Royal National Show. Ground improvements’, Telegraph, 1 March 1929, p.5; ‘Big improvements at the showground’, Telegraph, 30 May 1936, p.4; Resources, aerial photograph BCC000134901, 31 May 1946.
[58] State Library of Queensland negative number 65552 ‘Aerial view of the Exhibition Ground and surrounding area, Brisbane, ca 1925’ [sic: 1923]). Trees present in 1923 but no longer extant on those sites (some may have been transplanted elsewhere in the grounds) include: those distributed amongst the early animal stalls located along O’Connell Terrace (both sides of the railway line) and the east end of Gregory Terrace; a cluster of trees inside the main entrance to the show, near the Exhibition Annexe; most of the trees on the south side of Gregory Terrace, west of John Reid Pavilion (some later survived as part of Gregorys Rest); and a row along the northeast side of the 1914 Sheep, Pig and Poultry Pavilion in Petty’s Paddock.
[59] Resources, aerial photograph ADA00065850, 20 April 1936; ‘Big improvements at the showground’, Telegraph, 30 May 1936, p.4 (weeping figs planted around No.2 show ring); ‘£17,000 improvements for Royal Show’, Telegraph, 10 August 1936, p.10 (trees transferred to new picnic area). Figs were also planted along the north side of Gregory Terrace, on the south side of No.1 Show Ring, by 1936 – but these were replaced in the 1990s. Palm trees extant by 1936 on the grass terraces east of No.1 Show Ring (palm trees), figs northeast of the Stock & Station Agents' offices, and a cluster of trees on the north side of Side Show Alley, also no longer exist.
[60] Resources, aerial photographs ADA00065850, 20 April 1936; BCC000134901, 31 May 1946; BCC000539335, 1 August 1951; and QAP1060058, 26 September 1960. The mature figs trees visible alongside the park at the north end of Alexandria Street in the 1946 aerial were sharply cut back by the Brisbane City Council in 1947 (Mills, The Ekka, p.32), but had recovered by 1951.
[61] Mills, The Ekka, pp.38, 93; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.41; ‘A better show - by £46,000. New building work’ Courier Mail, 5 August 1958, p.15; Resources, aerial photograph QAP1060058, 26 September 1960. The 1950 seating on the east side of the No.1 Show Ring is present in Resources, aerial photograph BCC000539335, 1 August 1951, while the new Beef Cattle Pavilion is also shown under construction. This pavilion was constructed by MR Hornibrook Builders at a cost of £206,000. A small brick building, extant 2023 near the ramp to the northeast corner of the Beef Cattle Pavilion, was built as a vet’s office and quarters around this time (visible in State Library of Queensland, Negative number 118633, ‘Aerial view of display at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground for Queen Elizabeth II, Brisbane’, 1954).
[62] State Library of Queensland, Negative number 118633, ‘Aerial view of display at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground for Queen Elizabeth II, Brisbane’, 1954; Mills, The Ekka, p 65.
[63] Resources, Deed of Grant 13833226, 1965 (whole Exhibition Grounds to the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Exhibition Ground Trust). The southern boundary of the Exhibition Grounds extended along St Pauls Terrace for over half the distance between Exhibition Street and Constance Street.
[64] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.14, 41-2; Mills, The Ekka, pp.48-9, 50, 93; Resources, aerial photographs QAP1822183, 24 June 1966, QAP1880112, 18 April 1969 and QAP27579968, 29 January 1974. As well as the 1964 dairy symposium, a beef symposium was held in 1962, and a wool symposium in 1963. This reflected the continuing importance of Queensland’s primary industries to the Exhibition. Two timber extensions were added to the west side of brick Ring Control and Broadcast Building between 1974 and 1992. By 1969 a small building (the Alexandria Street Café) was present on the west side of the Caged Birds Pavilion, and a small timber turnstile building (extant 2023) existed on the east side of Gate 4 on O’Connell Terrace (Resources, aerial photograph QAP1880112, 18 April 1969).
[65] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.42-3; Mills, The Ekka, pp.71,74.
[66] Mills, The Ekka, p.72; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.19-22.
[67] Mills, The Ekka, pp.69, 71, 76, 93; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.42-3; Map of the show in Courier Mail, 8 August 1972, p.20; Resources aerial photographs QAP1880112, 18 April 1969, and QAP27579968, 29 January 1974. By 1936 a small building existed south of the refreshments building between the Industrial Pavilion and the Ernst Baynes Stand (the site of the Railway Tourist Bureau kiosk in 1933), and this was extended between 1946 and 1951 (‘Exhibition Grounds at a glance’, The Steering Wheel and Society and Home, Volume 1 No.9, August 1933, p.17; Resources, aerial photographs ADA00065850, 20 April 1936, BCC000134901, 31 May 1946, and BCC000539335, 1 August 1951). In 1970 a purpose-built RNA Administration Building was opened to the south of the 1920s refreshments building. A new two-storeyed brick police building was completed for the 1971 Exhibition, replacing an earlier timber police building east of the council room building. A second storey was added to the Dog Pavilion in 1977, and a public lounge bar was built in 1979, replacing the 1920s refreshments building.
[68] Mills, The Ekka, pp.69-70; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.23.
[69] Mills, The Ekka, p.83.
[70] Mills, The Ekka, pp.84-5, 92-3; ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, pp.43-4; The auditorium of the Walter Burnett Building seated 1000 people and was equipped with a stage and dance floor. It was also the venue for the first public airing of the Fitzgerald Inquiry Report on corruption in Queensland, on 3 July 1989. The sheds within ‘Expo Place 2’, to the south of the Expo 88 sheds on ‘Expo Place 1’, replaced several 1950s sheds on the same site.
[71] ‘The Brisbane Exhibition Grounds: a Conservation Management Plan’, p.44. The roof form of the Ernest Baynes Stand changed between 1990 and 1992 (Resources, aerial photograph QAP4878043, 14 May 1990; Brisbane City Council image BCC-S35-9470, ‘Aerial view of the RNA Showgrounds - Bowen Hills – 1992’). The new Goat Pavilion was built on the site of a fernery dating from the 1960s (Resources, aerial photographs QAP1060058, 26 September 1960 and QAP1822183, 24 June 1966; plan of the show in the Courier Mail, 8 August 1972, p.20).
[72] Between 2011-2023, structures were removed from: the area northwest of the railway (the remaining 1920s dairy cattle pavilions, 1990s Goat Pavilion, and most of the No.2 Show Ring); from the railway reserve (the railway station building); from between the railway reserve and Gregory Terrace (the 1970s police building, RNA Administration Building, and RNA Function Room east of the Industrial Pavilion, and the 1928 Lady Forster Creche); from the land south of Gregory Terrace (the central portion of the Gregory’s Rest open space; Main Parade (replaced by King Street, further east); the Walter Burnett Building and Auditorium, the Frank Nicklin Pavilion, and the Agricultural Hall and Douglas Wadley Pavilion along Costin and Constance Streets; the Commerce Building, Main Parade Food Stall, Building No.4, the Agricultural Street Snack Bar and Bar, Machinery Street Fish Place, Industrial Open Area, Police Pavilion, Agricultural Open Area, chairlift, Frank Robertson Pavilion, Building No.6, RNA Workshop, the John Reid Annex, Building No.7 and the Industry Street Food Bar); and from the former Alexandria Park area (Buildings Nos. 9-12 (the WWII buildings and 1940s infill pavilions), the Alexandria Street Café, and the 1935 farm boys camp building).
[73] ‘Ekka History’, https://www.ekka.com.au/media/6493/ekka-media-kit-history.pdf (accessed 2 November 2023).
[74] ‘List of Queensland's Q150 Icons’, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Queensland%27s_Q150_Icons, (accessed 29 November 2023);  ‘Queensland’s largest event. Exhibitor Prospectus 2022, August 6-14’, https://www.ekka.com.au/media/6265/ekka-leasing-exhibitor-prospectus-2022-1.pdf, (accessed 2 November 2023); ‘Ekka attracts bumper crowds of 400,000’, https://www.ekka.com.au/media/7326/media-release-ekka-attrracts-bumper-crowds-of-400-000.pdf (accessed 2 November 2023).
[75] For more in-depth accounts of the history of the Ekka and those aspects of it which people hold dear, see Mills, The Ekka, and R Laurie and J Scott, Showtime: A History of the Brisbane Exhibition, Brisbane, University of Queensland Press, 2008.

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