Brisbane Showgrounds

Former names	RNA Showgrounds Ekka Grounds Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Location	Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland
Coordinates	27°27′0″S 153°1′58″E / 27.45000°S 153.03278°E / -27.45000; 153.03278
Owner	The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland
Operator	The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland
Capacity	25,490
Construction
Broke ground	1880
Opened	1886
Tenants
Brisbane Bandits (ABL)
Ground information
International information
First Test	30 November – 5 December 1928:  Australia v  England
Last Test	16–20 January 1931:  Australia v  West Indies
Only women's Test	28–31 December 1934:  Australia v  England
As of 26 April 2017 Source: ESPNcricinfo

Brisbane Showgrounds
Location of Brisbane Showgrounds in Queensland
Location	600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates	27°27′03″S 153°01′55″E / 27.4508°S 153.032°E / -27.4508; 153.032
Design period	1870s–1890s (late 19th century)
Built	1880s–1980s
Architect	Claude William Chambers
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name	Brisbane Exhibition Grounds, RNA Showgrounds, National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Exhibition Grounds, Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Exhibition Grounds/Show Grounds, Royal Queensland Showgrounds
Type	state heritage (landscape, built)
Designated	25 July 2003
Reference no.	601709
Significant period	1880s–1980s (fabric) 1876+ (social) 1881, 1887, c. 1903, 1914–19, 1927–28, 1939–44, 1971, 1989
Significant components	toilet block/earth closet/water closet, dormitory, gate – entrance, park / green space, studio – broadcasting, yards – livestock, show ring, workshop, embankment – railway, pavilion – exhibition, turnstile/s, trees/plantings, auditorium, stables, grandstand, hall, tunnel – pedestrian, bank, bar, memorial – plaque, fence/wall – perimeter, bridge/viaduct – railway, office/s
Builders	Walls & Juster

The Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is a multi-purpose venue located in Bowen Hills, Brisbane. Established in 1875, it hosts more than 250 events each year, the largest being the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka).

The Brisbane Showgrounds was designed by Claude William Chambers and built by Walls & Juster. It is also referred to as the RNA Showgrounds, Ekka Grounds, National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Exhibition Grounds, Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Exhibition Grounds/Show Grounds, and Royal Queensland Showgrounds. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 25 July 2003.^[1]

The Brisbane Showgrounds is owned and operated by The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland. Over 10 days in August, it hosts the Ekka show. Throughout the rest of the year, other events can hire spaces in the Brisbane Showgrounds.

History

The site of the Brisbane Showgrounds, together with the nearby Victoria Park, was originally utilised by the Indigenous 'Turrbal' or 'Duke of York clan' as a campground. They called this area "Barrambin". During the early colonial period, the British named it "York's Hollow".^[2] During the 1840s, up to 400 Turrbal people would reside around the waterholes at York's Hollow. In 1846, police constables dispersed this major campsite killing at least 3 people,^[3] while in 1849 British soldiers of the 11th Regiment conducted another dispersal wounding several.^[4] Also in 1849, York's Hollow started to be used as a campsite for the influx of newly arrived European immigrants under John Dunmore Lang's immigration scheme.^[5] It was also utilised as a site for brick manufacture and by 1860 it appears that Aboriginals were no longer able to reside in the area.^[6]

In July 1863, the site became part of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society's grounds. This Society, established in 1862 to promote the introduction, acclimatisation, propagation and distribution in Queensland of economically useful plants and animals, was granted 33 acres (13 ha) of land bounded by Bowen Bridge Road, O'Connell Terrace, Brookes Street and Gregory Terrace. At the northwestern corner of the site, fronting Bowen Bridge Road and O'Connell Terrace, the Society established a public exhibition garden Bowen Park. The remainder of the site was used for experimentation purposes, growing and propagating plants and seeds sent from other parts of Queensland, other colonies and around the world, and raising various introduced animals. The Society played an important role in the beginnings of commercial agriculture in Queensland, introducing or trialling crops and plants such as mango trees, ginger plants, sugar cane, olive trees and choko vines.^[1]

The history of the Ekka on the site of the Brisbane Showgrounds dates back to August 1876, with the staging of the Queensland Intercolonial Exhibition. None of the buildings from 1876 have survived, but the grounds have increased from an original 12 acres (4.9 ha) to 22 hectares (54 acres) and contain a variety of structures and facilities associated with the annual August Ekka. The site has been the venue for Queensland's principal agricultural exhibition for 139 years. It remains the home of the annual Royal Queensland Show and is Queensland's premier showground. Since 1876, four annual Royal Queensland Shows on this site have been cancelled: the 1919 Exhibition due to the influenza epidemic, in 1942 during World War II when the grounds were occupied by military personnel^[1] and the 2020 and 2021 shows due to COVID-19.

Queensland's 1876 Intercolonial Exhibition was not the first competitive demonstration of agricultural and industrial progress in the colony. In 1854, squatters from the Darling Downs and Moreton Bay districts of New South Wales established the Northern Districts' Agricultural and Pastoral Association, modelled on the Scottish Highland Agricultural Societies. They planned to hold exhibitions (mainly of pastoral produce) at Brisbane, Ipswich, Warwick, Drayton and Gayndah, in rotation, and some shows were held before the Association became immersed in more political activities. Nurseryman Albert John Hockings was instrumental in holding horticultural shows in Brisbane from 1855. In the 1860s other regional agricultural and pastoral associations were formed, among the earliest being the Darling Downs Agricultural Society (based at Toowoomba) in 1860, the Drayton and Toowoomba Agricultural and Horticultural Society in 1864, the East Moreton Farmers Association (based at Ipswich) in 1866 and the Eastern Downs Horticultural and Agricultural Association (based at Warwick) in 1867. 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 practice. Associations such as these proliferated in Queensland during the second half of the 19th century and each held an annual "show".^[1]

In 1874 moves were initiated by Queensland's Chief Inspector of Stock, Patrick Robertson Gordon, to form a national agricultural society, to plan Brisbane's first intercolonial exhibition. He was supported by Gresley Lukin, editor of the Brisbane Courier and the Queenslander, and agricultural agent John Fenwick. In May 1875 an inaugural meeting, presided over by the Queensland Governor, Sir William Wellington Cairns, was held to form the National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland. A constitution drafted by the headmaster of the Brisbane Grammar School, Thomas Harlin, was adopted in July, and the first meeting of the National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland was held at the Brisbane Town Hall on 13 August 1875. Arthur Hunter Palmer, later Premier of Queensland, was elected to the chair and other founding members included Joshua Peter Bell, George Harris, George Gromes, Thomas Harlin, Charles Stewart Mein and William Hemmant. At this meeting, use of part of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society's grounds was discussed and subsequently a lease of about 12 acres (4.9 ha) from the Society was arranged.^[1]

The alliance with the Acclimatisation Society was considered to be a sensible arrangement. There were common interests, the site was well supplied with water and convenient to the city and it was thought at the time that many women and townspeople, who might have hesitated in visiting a purely utilitarian exhibition of produce, animals and farm machinery, may have been induced by the additional attraction of the Acclimatisation Society Gardens.^[1]

The Intercolonial Exhibition was intended to promote and showcase the agricultural, pastoral and industrial resources of the whole of Queensland. Whether it could be sustained beyond a single exhibition remained to be seen. The National Association did not wish to supplant regional agricultural societies and associations, but wished to encourage their organisation, and foster a spirit of friendly rivalry amongst them by holding a grand central exhibition for the competition of winners at minor shows.^[7] To avoid clashing with local shows 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.^[1]

The first exhibition building was a large timber hall with side aisles and a central clerestory. It was erected in 1876 along Gregory Terrace near the corner of Bowen Bridge Road, at a cost of £1254, and was a modification of a design prepared by Queensland Colonial Architect FDG Stanley. Sydney exhibitor Jules Joubert added a rectangular wing to the northern side to increase the extent of his exhibition. Cattle, sheep and horse stalls of hardwood framing with corrugated iron roofing were erected in the grounds and a small showring was established north of the Exhibition Building.^[1]

The first Queensland Intercolonial Exhibition was declared open by Governor Cairns on Tuesday 22 August 1876 and ran until 28 August. It proved immensely popular, with a total of £1045 taken at the gate. Thereafter, the Exhibition became an annual event.^[1]

In the period 1876–1888, the National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland expended an estimated £7000 on the grounds. The main exhibition building was doubled in size for the 1877 exhibition and another annexe was provided for horticultural exhibits.^[1]

In 1879, the National Association was awarded a lease of 23 acres (9.3 ha) of the 32-acre (13 ha) Acclimatisation Society grounds for a period of 50 years, for use as an exhibition ground. In 1881 the railway to Sandgate was constructed through the National Association and Acclimatisation Society grounds creating the Exhibition railway station. The line was later re-routed via Central Station, Brunswick Street (now known as Fortitude Valley railway station) and Bowen Hills railway station, but the Exhibition railway line still opens each year during the August show. By 1882, the Exhibition Grounds comprised all the land south, southeast and east of the railway line and bounded by Bowen Bridge Road, Gregory Terrace, Brookes Street and O'Connell Terrace. A 1000-seat capacity grandstand, designed by FDG Stanley, was erected in 1885 (not the first grandstand on the site). In 1887 a timber residence designed by GHM Addison was constructed at the corner of O'Connell Terrace and Brookes Street for the Secretary of the National Association.^[1]

In 1887, the first exhibition building was destroyed by fire. The public called for it to be replaced with a masonry building, but the National Association was reluctant to commit to the necessary expenditure without more secure land tenure, against which they could borrow money for permanent exhibition buildings. In 1888 a temporary timber exhibition building was constructed for approximately £500, while the National Association called for competitive designs for a permanent exhibition building. Under the provisions of the National Association and Acclimatisation Society Act 1890, the land leased from the Queensland Acclimatisation Society for an exhibition ground was resumed and granted to the National Association as Trustees, who were also empowered under this act to borrow money from the Queensland Government to erect the new exhibition building.^[1]

The design competition was won by GHM Addison, the Brisbane partner of the Melbourne-based firm Oakden, Addison and Kemp. In 1890 Addison amended his original design to a T-shape, incorporating a southern wing with a concert hall which could be rented out to offset repayments on the government loan. The new building was erected closer to the corner of Bowen Bridge Road and Gregory Terrace than the original building. 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, with the whole of the building to be completed within 12 months.^[1]

A plan of the Exhibition Grounds published in The Queenslander on 15 August 1891 shows the new exhibition building, several smaller pavilions, a show ring in the position of the present main show ring, the 1885 grandstand (where the Ernest Baynes Stand is now located), animal shelters along the boundaries and the secretary's residence near Brookes Street.^[1][8]

The new exhibition building was completed in 1892 and a public holiday was declared for 10 August 1982 to mark the official opening of the Exhibition. Despite the economic depression, 32,000 people attended on the holiday and more than 66,000 over the four-day course of the Exhibition. However, the National Association did not escape the effects of the 1890s depression, struggling to repay the government loan on the exhibition building. In 1897 the Queensland Government resumed the building and liquidated the Association's debts. 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 (now known as the Old Museum Building). At this time the museum grounds were resumed from the National Association's land as a separate reserve. The National 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 Grounds back to the Association at an annual rental.^[1]

In the early 1900s, the Queensland economy revived and the National Association's financial position firmed. Substantial improvements and re-arrangements of the Exhibition Grounds were made in 1906 in time for the August show. A fine new grandstand, designed by Brisbane architect Claude William Chambers, was erected at a cost of £6248. (In 1923, this stand was renamed the John MacDonald Stand in honour of a long-serving National Association councillor). The sideshow booths which had been located on the hill to the north of the main ring, were moved to the valley on the northwest side of the railway, their place being taken by machinery exhibits. The hill has since been known as Machinery Hill and the valley as Sideshow Alley.^[1]

In 1909, the year of the Jubilee Exhibition (celebrating 50 years since the separation of Queensland from New South Wales), the Exhibition Grounds were extended with the acquisition of Petty's Paddock, an adjacent 6 acres (2.4 ha) bounded by Gregory Terrace and Alexandria, Science and Water Streets, purchased for £4500. Around 1910, a two-storey timber building with pressed metal ceilings and a prominent roof fleche, was erected along the northern side of Gregory Terrace near the main entrance. A section of this building was utilised as a Post Office by August 1933.^[1]

During the First World War (1914–18), a military recruiting and training camp, complete with a rifle range, was established at the Exhibition Grounds, but this did not prevent the annual Exhibition from proceeding.^[1]

In the 1910s, Brisbane architects Richard Gailey snr and Richard Gailey jnr established a relationship with the National Association which was to last through the 1920s and 1930s. In May 1914, they called tenders for the construction of a sheep, pig and poultry pavilion and fencing along Gregory Terrace and in 1917 for timber dog and horse pavilions.^[1]

In 1917, Toowoomba's Austral Hall (designed by architect William Hodgen and erected in 1904) was purchased for £1500 and re-erected at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. It was the largest building of its type in Queensland. Reflecting the growing popularity of the motor car, the pavilion was occupied by representatives of the local automobile trade. It was the first Brisbane Exhibition pavilion to be dedicated solely to motor vehicle displays, automobile exhibits previously being located on Machinery Hill. In 1919 Austral Hall was renamed the John Reid Pavilion following the death that year of Brisbane merchant John Reid, a long-time supporter of the National Association.^[1]

Affleck House was completed by August 1918 for the showtime use of Stock Breeders' Association delegates. It was named after National Association councillor WL Affleck, who raised the finance for the construction.^[1]

During the influenza epidemic which swept Australia in 1919, following the return of service personnel from overseas at the end of the First World War, army huts were erected at the exhibition grounds as isolation wards for the nearby Brisbane General Hospital, and dining rooms were set up to feed and house the expected influx of seriously ill patients. Due to the threat of crowd contagion and to prevent disturbing patients in the isolation wards, the Exhibition was cancelled that year.^[1]

In 1920, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) visited the Exhibition, following which 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). In recent years the RNA has registered as its trademark the word "Ekka" (a long-standing colloquial shortening of the word 'Exhibition').^[1]

During the interwar years many improvements were made to the exhibition grounds, with various buildings erected or extended during this period. A timber show hall was erected c. 1921 between Gregory Terrace and Water Street and a brick exhibition building, designed by architects Atkinson & Conrad, was constructed in 1923 for Lever Bros of Sydney.^[1]

In 1922–23, the Ernest Baynes Stand was erected on the site of the 1885 grandstand. Designed by architect Richard Gailey, Junior and constructed by John Hutchinson, the building had two tiers 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 Queensland 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 which could accommodate 600 persons at a sitting and a row of ten shops facing the lane at the rear of the structure.^[1]

A second show ring, intended principally for exhibiting dairy cattle, was established to the north of the Exhibition railway line which transects the Exhibition Grounds and was ready for the show of 1924. Its construction reflected the growing importance of the dairy industry to Queensland where, with Government encouragement, it became Queensland's second largest primary industry and sustained rural Queensland during the depression of the 1930s.^[1]

By 1925, the RNA Council Stand, located adjacent the Ernest Baynes Stand overlooking the show ring, had been constructed. The Stand was originally two storeys. At some early period the northern end of the building was extended to incorporate an entrance to the seating in front of the stand. By 1938, a third storey had been added to the building and later a two-storey extension facing Executive Street was constructed.^[1]

In 1927, legislation was enacted to grant the National Association perpetual lease of the grounds, at that time comprising just under 20 acres (8.1 ha). There followed a burst of ground improvements, mostly designed by architect Richard Gailey Jnr, including a dog pavilion, meat exhibition pavilion, more turnstiles and a new lavatory block in 1927; new horse and cattle stalls; and turnstiles at the corner of Costin Street and Gregory Terrace, in 1928. Also erected in 1928 were show pavilions for General Motors Pty Ltd, Brisbane Cars & Tractors Ltd, the Vacuum Oil Co. (concrete structure), and the Kodak Company Ltd, and a demonstration fibrous cement cottage designed by architect EP Trewern for James Hardie & Co.^[1]

At this period the RNA sought to make the grounds a first-class venue for cricket, football and other sports, but had limited success in attracting the big matches. The year 1928 was a high point for the Association's sporting ambitions, with the showground the venue for the first England versus Australia cricket test in Queensland and the first in the 1928–29 series. Legendary Australian cricketer Donald Bradman made his Test debut at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds in 1928. More successful than cricket or football was Exhibition Speedway, established in 1926.^[1]

A new Lady Forster Creche was opened in Costin Street, near the main entrance to the Exhibition Grounds, in time for the 1928 show. (Previously the creche was located on the main showgrounds north of Gregory Terrace.) The centre was operated by the Creche and Kindergarten Association and provided baby care while parents were enjoying the rounds of the show. In 1939, the Creche was removed to a new location near the Anglican dining hall, north of Gregory Terrace.^[1]

In 1929, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which since 1923 had been conducting a bank at the Exhibition Grounds during the annual show, constructed a purpose-designed bank building in the grounds, just to the south of the Council Stand. 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. The northeast end of the building was extended in 1947.^[1]

Despite the severe economic depression of the early 1930s, the Exhibition continued to attract its strong annual August attendance. More land was acquired, including a further 2 acres (0.81 ha) 23 perches (580 m²) excised from Bowen Park in 1932, bringing the total Exhibition Grounds to about 40 acres (16 ha). Improvements to the grounds at this period included more cattle stalls along O'Connell Terrace (architect Richard Gailey Jnr) and a new show pavilion for Foggitt Jones Pty Ltd (architects Addison & MacDonald) in 1932; and a new dairy produce hall (architect Richard Gailey jnr) for the RNA in 1933.^[1]

As the economy recovered during the second half of the 1930s, a number of substantial improvements were made to the RNA's exhibition facilities. In 1936, Gailey called tenders for a Wool Hall, additions to the pig and horse pavilions, new Stock & Station Agents' offices and dining hall and a new yearling sale ring. New concrete roads and additional seating accommodation were provided. The old Industrial Pavilion was demolished in 1938 and its replacement, designed by Richard Gailey Jnr and covering an area of 3.5 acres (1.4 ha), was completed along Gregory Terrace in June 1939 at a cost of £40,000. A new electricity hall at the corner of Gregory Terrace and Costin Street was also completed for the 1939 show – reputedly the first show pavilion in Australia dedicated entirely to electricity exhibits. (The Hall of Science, as it was later known, was demolished in 1986 to make way for a new Exhibition Building).^[1]

During the Second World War, the Exhibition Grounds were occupied from late 1939 to 1944 by military authorities as a venue for training, accommodation and embarkation of troops. (Showgrounds and racecourses with their ovals and existing toilet facilities were favoured places to temporarily accommodate service personnel.) Troops at the exhibition grounds slept in pig and cattle pens; the bars beneath the John MacDonald Stand became wet canteens; and troop trains departed from the railway platforms normally used by show patrons. In 1940 and again in 1941, the military vacated the grounds temporarily for the August Exhibition. Following the entry of Japan into the war in December 1941, American troops were stationed at the showgrounds and the Exhibition of 1942 was cancelled, but was renewed in a limited fashion in 1943 and 1944. Following the war, the RNA purchased a number of buildings from the military, for use on the site.^[1]

The 1950s saw further improvements and works to the grounds with the construction of a Beef Cattle Pavilion in 1950, the work being carried out by MR Hornibrook Builders at a cost of £206,000, and the addition of seating around the main oval near Machinery Hill. Also constructed in the 1950s was a new Dairy Industry Hall, adjacent to the John Reid Pavilion, on the site of the 1933 dairy hall. By the late 1950s, the grounds comprised approximately 50 acres (20 ha).^[1]

The Brisbane Exhibition Ground was also the site chosen for the people of Brisbane to welcome Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, when they visited Australia during March 1954. It was Queen Elizabeth's first visit to Australia as Queen of Australia and 30,000 people attended the 40-minute welcome ceremony at the Exhibition Ground.^[9]

A number of new buildings were erected in the 1960s. In 1962, the RNA moved its offices from the Queensland Primary Producers Association building in Adelaide Street to the Exhibition Grounds and in 1970 a purpose-built RNA Administration Building costing $111,584 was opened. In 1963, on land acquired along Constance Street, a double pavilion known as the Agricultural Hall and Douglas Wadley Pavilion was constructed. The Agricultural Hall housed district and junior farmer exhibits. The Douglas Wadley Pavilion, extended in 1968 and again in 1977, housed dogs, and is used regularly for exhibitions in addition to the annual August show. In 1968 the Ring Control and Broadcast building was enlarged. By 1970, the grounds comprised approximately 55 acres (22 ha).^[1]

The first animal nursery was established by RNA councillor Frank Robertson at the 1964 show. The baby animals have proved one of the most popular and enduring of the show traditions and has been copied by show societies throughout Australia. At the 1972 Exhibition a purpose-built facility for the animal nursery was opened, named in honour of Mr Robertson.^[1]

In the late 1960s, the face of Sideshow Alley, traditionally home to the weird and wonderful, began to change. The tents and booths largely disappeared, to be replaced with high technology rides, tests of skill and popular music entertainment.^[1]

Controversy was generated when the Queensland Government declared a state of emergency from 13 July to 2 August, during the 1971 South African Springbok Rugby team tour, when demonstrations against apartheid were held in Brisbane and throughout Australia. The main show ring at the Exhibition Ground was commandeered to host the matches, as a safe distance could be maintained between spectators and would-be protesters. A two-metre-high (6.6 ft) chain wire fence was erected to separate spectators from players.^[1]

A new two-storey brick building for use by the police during the annual show was completed for the 1971 Exhibition. It was located inside the main entrance from Gregory Terrace and replaced an earlier timber building. A new Members Stand was constructed in the 1970s.^[1]

Improvements and new buildings in the 1980s included:

• the refurbishment of the John McDonald Stand in 1985
• the construction of a new Exhibition Building in 1986 on the site of the Hall of Science building, at a cost of $2.5 million (with Queensland Government assistance)
• removal of the top seating tier of the Ernest Baynes Stand in 1986, following the Bradford Stadium collapse in England in 1985
• the opening on 28 November 1988 of the Walter Burnett Building

The Walter Burnett Building was designed by architects Hulme and Webster and is adjacent the Frank Nicklin Pavilion (honouring Queensland Premier Frank Nicklin) which accommodates fine arts exhibitions. The auditorium of the Walter Burnett Building seats 1000 people and is equipped with a stage and dance floor. Besides its importance to the annual Exhibition, the building is in constant use for all sorts of activities, including expositions, balls and conferences. It was also the venue for the first public airing of the Fitzgerald Inquiry Report on corruption in Queensland, on 3 July 1989.^[1]

In 2008, Bowen Hills – including the area of the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds – was declared an Urban Development Area under the Urban Land Development Act 2007 (replaced by the Economic Development Act 2012, with the term Priority Development Area superseding the term Urban Development Area).^[1]

The RNA launched a project to redevelop the showgrounds and in 2009 selected property and infrastructure company, Lend Lease, as their redevelopment partner. In 2010, the RNA and Lend Lease unveiled plans for the Brisbane Showgrounds Regeneration Project, a redevelopment of 5.5 hectares (14 acres) of the 22-hectare (54-acre) 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 in the southeastern portion of the site (bounded by Alexandria Street, St Pauls Terrace, Costin Street, Constance Street and Gregory Terrace). Buildings and areas demolished or removed by 2015 included: the Frank Nicklin Pavilion, Walter Burnett Building and Auditorium, Agricultural Hall and Douglas Wadley Pavilion, Frank Robertson Pavilion, Building No.4, Main Parade Food Stall and Show Time Snack Bar, Agricultural Street Bar, Machinery Street Fish Place, Agricultural Open Area, Industrial Open Area, Police Exhibit and chairlift. The plans for the project were approved in 2010 and construction began in April 2011. The project is expected to take 15 years to complete, at a projected cost of $2.9 billion.^[1]

The association with regional Queensland and the rural tradition has been and will remain central to the character of the Brisbane Exhibition and the grounds in which it is held, but the RNA has incorporated new ideas and technology to meet the expectations of today's show patrons. In recent years new attractions at the Exhibition Grounds have included communications technology displays.^[1]

Used as a sports ground

Sport has also been a major feature at the Brisbane Showgrounds. Sports played at the Showgrounds have included:

• Soccer
  The Australia men's national soccer team occasionally played at the Exhibition Ground, with full international matches being played in 1933 (New Zealand), 1938 (India) and 1969 (Greece).^[10][11][12] They also played other exhibition matches in 1927 (Bohemians billed as "Czecho-Slovakia"), 1937 (England Amateurs), 1941 (Chinese XI), 1949 (Hajduk Split billed as Yugoslavia) and 1975 (Legia Warsaw).^{[13][14][15][16][17]} The showgrounds also hosted a number of Queensland state matches.
• Baseball
  The Australian Baseball League team Brisbane Bandits was based at the ground during the early 1990s. They returned to the ground in 2010 for the first season of the revamped Australian Baseball League. The end of the 2010–11 season was interrupted by the 2010–11 Queensland floods, with many games postponed and cancelled.^{[citation needed]}
• Cricket
  28 first-class cricket matches were played between 1893 and 1931, including two Tests^[18] and 13 Sheffield Shield matches. The first ever Queensland Sheffield Shield game was played at the ground, with Queensland losing to longtime arch-rivals New South Wales.
  The Test against England in 1928/29 was the first Test played in Brisbane and was the debut of Don Bradman who scored 18 and 1. The Third Test of the series against the West Indies in 1930/31 was the last first-class fixture at the ground. Revenue from the two Tests was disappointing, largely because of the numbers who got in for free by using their agricultural society badges, and the Queensland Cricket Association moved down the road to the Gabba.^{[citation needed]}
• Rugby league
  Rugby League was played at the Exhibition Grounds before the QRL moved to Lang Park.
  The Brisbane Exhibition Ground hosted many International, State and club games. At the Exhibition Ground Great Britain won the first Ashes series on Australian soil. Rugby league holds the attendance record for the ground with 40,500 (with a further estimated 10,000 locked out) on 6 July during one of the 1946 Great Britain Lions tour's England v Australia test matches.^{[citation needed]}
• Tennis
  In 1895 the first inter-colonial tennis match took place with Queensland playing New South Wales.^{[citation needed]}
Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Brisbane_Exhibition_Ground
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