page_title: Townsville Showground
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Townsville Showground / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Three young women at the Townsville Show, 1941. The women are carrying showbags from Nestle Cocoa and Vi. Lactogen.
context_page_description: Townsville Showground is a heritage-listed showground at 72-104 Ingham Road, West End, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 16 October 2008.
context_section_description: The Townsville Showground was established in 1882 by the North Queensland Pastoral and Agricultural Association (P & A Assoc.) which later became known as the Townsville Pastoral Agricultural and Industrial Association (TPA&I). It remains in use as one of Queensland's premier showgrounds and continues to provide an important regional venue for the showcasing of North Queensland industrial, pastoral and agricultural products and businesses, and for athletics events and community and entertainment events. It retains a variety of structures erected between the mid 1890s and 1970s that have been important in the functioning of the showground. These include: exhibition halls, 1901 grandstand, show ring, poultry and livestock pavilions, a dairy, stabling and marshalling areas, gates, turnstiles, and Curley Bell stands.
  Encouraged by a boom in settlement due to an expansion of the pastoral and goldmining industry, and in response to the formation of the National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland in 1875 and up and coming inaugural Exhibition to be held in Brisbane in August 1876, Townsville's civic and business leaders called for the establishment of the North Queensland Pastoral and Agricultural Association (P & A Association), at a meeting held in June 1876. Before a suitable site could be secured, the first Townsville Show was held in 1880 with agricultural and pastoral products displayed in the Botanical Gardens reserve and industrial and horticultural exhibits at the School of Arts.
  From its inception, the Association was reflective of regional interests. In 1880, office bearers included country delegates from Hughenden, Lilliesmere, Towerhill, Woodstock, Herbert River, Charters Towers, Bluff Downs, Greenvale, Woodhouse, Mount Stuart, Dotswood, Dalrymple, Reedy Springs, Lyndhurst, Wandavale and Herbert River.
  In the late 1870s the P & A Association applied to the colonial government for 16 acres (6.47 ha) at West End to be set aside as a reserve for show purposes. In January 1881, a deed of grant was issued to the Association trustees for 10 acres (4.04 ha) of Crown Land to be reserved for a showground on Flinders Street West, later known as Ingham Road. At the time the new showground adjoined several reserves including the Defence Force Reserve, the Pound Reserve and the Manure Depot. This later provided room for expansion of the grounds as well as setting up establishing a long relationship between the defence force and Show Association in regards to usage of the defence drill hall for exhibition space.
  The first show was held at the new showground in 1882, and it was quickly realised by the P & A Association at the time that the area was an insufficient to service the showground events with no dedicated show exhibition space or to provide a flexible sporting venue for the growing community. As a result, the showgrounds were expanded in 1888 to take in the Manure Depot and the Pound Reserve covering a total area of over 30 acres (12.14 ha).
  From the beginning the Townsville showground precinct was a venue where the community could meet, showcase its pastoral and agricultural produce; introduce new agricultural ideas and technology; and provide a much anticipated meeting place for the community to gather, meet relatives, and socialise. Prominent North Queensland pastoralists and agriculturalists used the venue to showcase their horses, promote their interest in breeding stock and encourage future growth in the region. In addition to stud stock, exhibitions reflected the major influence of wool, timber reserves, coffee, horticulture and minerals indicative of the pastoral, agricultural, and mining industries throughout the region. It also provided an outlet where the products of women's labour associated within the domestic environment were exhibited including displays of cookery, needlework, millinery, arts and taxonomy. In addition children were encouraged to enter events which displayed their prowess in the execution of schoolwork. Events attracted both professional and amateur participants and contr
caption: Three young women dressed up for a day at the Townsville Show, 1941
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