Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Encyclopedia
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground (also known as the RNA Showgrounds and the Ekka Grounds), is a showground established in Brisbane
during 1875 especially for Ekka
(formally titled the Royal Queensland Show). The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland. The Ekka is a show
held at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground over two weeks in August each year. Because the Ekka is only held over a two-week period each year, other displays and exhibitions are held at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground during the remainder of the year.
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 1954. It was Queen Elizabeth's first visit to Australia as Queen.
Sport has also been a major feature at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground, but is now only home to the Brisbane Bandits
of the Australian Baseball League
. Sports played at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground have included:
Unlike many purpose built baseball diamonds, the Showgrounds, much like Coopers Stadium is an oval, allowing for deep foul territory. To counter this foul territory, the field has lines of demarcation that prevent many would-be foul balls from being caught.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
during 1875 especially for Ekka
Ekka
The Ekka is the annual agricultural show of Queensland, Australia. Its formal title is the Royal Queensland Show. It was originally called the Brisbane Exhibition, however it is usually shortened to Ekka.-History:...
(formally titled the Royal Queensland Show). The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland. The Ekka is a show
Agricultural show
An agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show , a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment...
held at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground over two weeks in August each year. Because the Ekka is only held over a two-week period each year, other displays and exhibitions are held at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground during the remainder of the year.
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground was also the site chosen for the people of Brisbane to welcome Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
, when they visited Australia during 1954. It was Queen Elizabeth's first visit to Australia as Queen.
Sport has also been a major feature at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground, but is now only home to the Brisbane Bandits
Brisbane Bandits
The Brisbane Bandits were a foundation team in the Australian Baseball League which was bought by a private owner and shut down in 1999. The Bandits have now been resurrected as a team in the new Australian Baseball League which is due to start in November 2010...
of the Australian Baseball League
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
. Sports played at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground have included:
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
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 LeagueAustralian Baseball LeagueThe Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
. The end of the 2010-11 season was interrupted by the 2011 Queensland floods, with many games postponed and cancelled. The Showgrounds will again play host to the Bandits for the 2011-12 season from November to February.
Unlike many purpose built baseball diamonds, the Showgrounds, much like Coopers Stadium is an oval, allowing for deep foul territory. To counter this foul territory, the field has lines of demarcation that prevent many would-be foul balls from being caught.
- CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
28 first-class cricketFirst-class cricketFirst-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches were played between 1893 and 1931, including 2 TestsTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and 13 Sheffield Shield matches. The first ever Queensland Sheffield Shield game was played at the ground, with Queensland losing to long time arch-rivals New South Wales.
The Test against EnglandEnglish cricket teamThe England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
in 1928/29 was the first Test played in Brisbane and was the debut of Don Bradman who scored 18 and 1.
The 3rd Test of the series against the West Indian cricket teamWest Indian cricket teamThe West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
in 1930/31 was the last first-class fixture at the ground. Brisbane's Exhibition Ground had a short lifespan, staging only two Tests and a couple of dozen first-class matches before being completely replaced by the Gabba. The venue was home of local agricultural shows, and when Brisbane was finally granted a Test in 1928-29, it was held at the Exhibition Ground as it was a natural amphitheatre and so could accommodate more people. However, revenue from that match, and the Test which followed in 1930-31, 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. The venue is no longer used for cricket and instead hosts the annual RNA show which attracts over 500,000 people, as well as speedway and equestrian events. It is situated in the suburb of Bowen Hills and is very close to Royal Brisbane and Women's HospitalRoyal Brisbane and Women's HospitalThe Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital is a hospital located in the suburb of Herston in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.The hospital was formerly known as the Brisbane General Hospital.The hospital currently has a total of 948 beds...
.
- Rugby LeagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
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 BritainGreat Britain national rugby league teamThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
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) at the England v Australia test on 6 July 1946.
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
In 1895 the first inter-colonial tennis match took place with QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
playing New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
- CyclingCyclingCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
In 1896 the ground was used for cycle racing.
- Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
It hosted one of the most controversial rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
games in 1971 when Australia took on South Africa - the game was switched from Ballymore because it was easier to erect barricades at the Exhibition Ground.
- Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
QFLAFL QueenslandAFL Queensland is the governing body of Australian rules football in Queensland. It was formed in 2000 after the previous governing body for the sport in Queensland, the Queensland Australian Football League , went into voluntary liquidation...
games were played at the ground prior to, and just after, World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
The ground hosted the 1950 Interstate Carnival1950 Brisbane CarnivalThe 1950 Brisbane Carnival was the 11th edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition. It was the first carnival to be hosted in Queensland....
, won by the Victorian Football League (VFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
) side.
The ground was also host to a VFL premiership match, EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
, as part of Round 8, 1952. All VFL matches that week were moved to country and interstate venues in an effort to spread interest in the game. Originally to be played on a Saturday afternoon, the match was rescheduled due to torrential rain. Essendon (23.17) defeated Geelong (12.14) by 69 points the following Monday night in the first official VFL match to be played under floodlights.
- MotorsportMotorsportMotorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
Starting in 1926, the Ekka was home to Dirt track racingDirt track racingDirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
in Brisbane. Motorcycle speedwayMotorcycle speedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
, Sprintcars, Super Sedans, and SpeedcarsMidget car racingMidget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
headlining many a Saturday night show during the summer months with many famous competitors racing at the 450m Ekka track including Jack BrabhamJack BrabhamSir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
, Ray and Howard Revell, George Tattnell, Bob "Two Gun" Tattersall, Blair Shepherd, Ron Wanless, Billy SandersBilly SandersWilliam Robert Sanders 'Billy Sanders' was an Australian international Speedway rider who won six Australian Championships and was a five time Speedway World Championship finalist with a career best second place in Germany 1983.-Australian Speedway:Billy Sanders bought his first speedway bike from...
, PhilPhil CrumpPhilip John "Phil" Crump in Mildura, Victoria is a retired Australian Motorcycle speedway rider who attained 3rd place in the 1976 World Championship...
and Jason CrumpJason CrumpJason Phillip Crump is an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion.-Family:...
, Sam ErmolenkoSam ErmolenkoGuy Allen 'Sudden Sam' Ermolenko is a former Speedway rider. In 1993 he won the Speedway World Championship in Pocking, Germany. He is the older brother of Charles 'Dukie' Ermolenko who also rode in the UK....
, Simon WiggSimon WiggSimon Wigg was a speedway, grasstrack and Longtrack rider who finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship in 1989....
, Leigh AdamsLeigh AdamsLeigh Scott Adams is an Australian motorcycle speedway rider. He is a multiple Speedway Grand Prix winner and World Team Champion...
and Tony RickardssonTony RickardssonTony Rickardsson is a retired Swedish motorcycle speedway rider. He is widely acknowledged as being the most successful speedway rider of the current era, having won six Speedway World Championship titles in 15 attempts. He has two daughters, Michelle and Natalie with his wife Anna...
. After the cars stopped using the venue during the early 1980s in favor of the Archerfield Speedway which has a clay surface, speedway faded at the Ekka though the venue continued to host motorcycle racing into the late 1990s including holding events such as the Australian Solo Championship (held at the Ekka in 1934 [3 lap], 1947 [4 lap], 1949 [4 lap], 1951, 52 and 53 [Champion of Champions], 1974, 1981, 1990, 1993 and 1997). The Ekka also hosted the Australian Sidecar Championship in 1961, 1962 and 1992. Speedway somehow never had a 'final night' at the Ekka which now hosts an annual Vintage Speedway meeting every year featuring restored speedway cars and bikes which competed not only at the Ekka but around Australia.
External sources
- Ekka history What’s the Ekka? - and the Brisbane Exhibition Ground