The Royal Hobart Showgrounds are the site of the

Royal Hobart Show The Royal Hobart Show is an annual event held in October at the Royal Showgrounds in Glenorchy, Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest of the Royal Shows held in cities and towns around the state by the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania ...

and many other smaller events including a market on the grounds every Sunday. The Royal Hobart Showground is located 10 km north of

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, between the junction to

Brooker Highway The Brooker Highway is a highway in the State of Tasmania, Australia. As one of Hobart's 3 major radials, the highway connects traffic from the Hobart city centre with the northern suburbs and is the major road connection to the cities and town ...

/ Goodwood Road and the Main Road in Glenorchy.

Royal Hobart Show

The Royal Hobart Show is an annual event held at the Royal Showgrounds in October. The event focuses on the rural exploits of Tasmanians with events such as livestock judging and wood chopping. Also popular at the event are show bags and rides. In many ways it can be considered similar (although smaller) to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The show runs for four days, Wednesday through to Saturday, ending on the fourth Saturday in October.

History

The first show was in January 1822, in the Old Market Place, just in front of the present State Parliament House. The venue of the

has varied over the past 184 years and has included

Salamanca Place Salamanca Place is a precinct of Hobart, the capital city of the Australian state of Tasmania. Salamanca Place itself consists of rows of sandstone buildings, formerly warehouses for the port of Hobart Town that have since been converted into ...

, Bridgewater,

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Tattersalls Park Elwick Racecourse (currently also known by its sponsored name of Ladbrokes Park Elwick) is a Thoroughbred horse-racing venue located on Goodwood Road within Glenorchy, Tasmania, Australia. It is located in close proximity to the Brooker High ...

and even the Hobart Town Hall. In 1903, the

Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania The Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania (RAST) is a Tasmanian Agricultural society based at the Hobart Showgrounds. The RAST organises many of the agricultural shows around Tasmania including the Royal Hobart Show. Originally called the “Va ...

purchased the of bushland then known as the "Elwick Knoll" at a cost of £2525. The following year the first Show was held at its current location, the Elwick Showground. In 1922 His Majesty

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

approved the granting of the prefix ‘Royal’ to the Society and in turn became known as The Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania. A $4 million redevelopment of the Showgrounds took place in 1980 and provided Pacing and

Greyhound Racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...

facilities, an upgraded arena suitable for a variety of events, and the enclosed Grandstand and Amenities building which includes bars, restaurants, betting hall, meeting rooms and offices. The 1981

Inter Dominion :''for winners of the Inter Dominion see: Inter Dominion Pacing Championship and Inter Dominion Trotting Championship'' The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. It is ...

was held at the Showgrounds. From 2004-2008, the Pacing facilities have merged with

Thoroughbred Racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing i ...

Elwick Racecourse Elwick Racecourse (currently also known by its sponsored name of Ladbrokes Park Elwick) is a Thoroughbred horse-racing venue located on Goodwood Road within Glenorchy, Tasmania, Australia. It is located in close proximity to the Brooker Highw ...

, just down the road.

Hobart Greyhound Racing Club

The Hobart Greyhound Racing Club (HGRC) switched to the Hobart Showground when it moved out of the

TCA Ground The TCA Ground, or Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground, is one of two first-class standard cricket grounds in Hobart, Tasmania. It is located on the Queens Domain less than one kilometre from the CBD. The TCA Ground is a picturesque ground ...

in 1980. After racing for 26 years at the Showground, the HGRC moved to the new $20 million development at

in 2006.

Future redevelopment

In April 2012 the RAST (Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania) board of management announced plans to redevelop large sections of the showgrounds, including parcelling out sections for commercial use and the demolition of the current Poultry, Dog, Cat and other exhibition pavilions to be replaced with just two pavilions for companion animals and livestock during the show.

Other uses

In addition to the Royal Hobart Show that is conducted annually, The Showgrounds hosted the Royal Hobart International Wine show, the second largest Wine Show in Australia and the only Wine Show in the world believed to be conducted in line with

ISO 9001 The ISO 9000 family is a set of five quality management systems (QMS) standards that help organizations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. ISO 90 ...

quality management system certification standards. In recent years the showground has hosted the Royal Hobart Fine Food Awards and the Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year Competitions, as well as attracting music events like the

Southern Roots Festival Southern Roots was an annual music festival in Australia, held in Hobart, Tasmania. Similar to the Big Day Out, it is common that the well-known headlining acts will play on the outdoor "Main Stage" which overlooks the venue, and the lesser kn ...

in 2007 and the

Eskimo Joe Eskimo Joe are an Australian alternative rock band that was formed in 1997 by Stuart MacLeod, on lead guitar, Joel Quartermain, on drums and guitar, and Kavyen Temperley, on bass guitar and vocals, in East Fremantle, Western Australia, Austral ...

live show in 2006. Since May 2007, the grounds have been the site of the headquarters of

Football Federation Tasmania Football Tasmania (FT) is the governing body for soccer in the Australian state of Tasmania. The federation oversees competitions across Tasmania, Tasmanian representative teams, and development of the sport in the state. The federation was kno ...

. In addition, various

animal fancy Animal fancy is a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals. Fancy may include ownership, showing, animal sports and other competitions, and breeding. Hobbyists may simply collect specimens of the animal ...

events, including exhibits of cats, dogs, poultry, rabbits and guinea pigs, are held by animal fancier clubs at venues in the showgrounds.

References

External links

Hobart Showground website
{{Hobart landmarks Landmarks in Hobart Sports venues in Hobart Music venues in Australia Culture in Hobart Tourist attractions in Hobart Glenorchy, Tasmania Showgrounds in Australia Defunct greyhound racing venues in Australia