Bathurst Showground

About

The Bathurst Showground is a heritage-listed showground on Kendall Avenue (Great Western Highway), Bathurst, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by James Hines, J. J. Copemen and Edward Gell and built from 1879. The property is owned by Bathurst Showground Trust and the New South Wales Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure & Services. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 4 September 2015.

Indigenous occupation and European settlement

The Macquarie Valley, in which Bathurst was later situated, was inhabited by the Wiradjuri people, their land extending from the western side of the Great Dividing Range to the Darling River. The Wiradjuri were impacted early by the expansion of pastoralist and retaliated with a series of attacks. Governor Brisbane declared martial law in August 1824, but the attacks continued with a man named Windradyne being a prominent figure in resistance. Windradyne became associated with the Suttor family, who maintained friendly relations with the Wiradjuri and advocated on their behalf.

The Bathurst district was the first European settlement in the interior of the Australian continent, having been proclaimed by Governor Macquarie on 7 May 1815. The area was deemed necessary for the expansion of the colony. Governor Macquarie, being opposed to graziers with large holdings, was hoping the land would be opened up as small holdings for the production of wheat. While wheat was grown, the grazing of first cattle and then sheep, became more important. The wheat industry was hampered by a lack of supply networks to Sydney markets and the majority of the harvests were consumed locally, although Gold Rush towns became a significant market during the 1850s and 1860s. Despite this, four flour mills were open in Bathurst in 1862 and five were operating in 1886. The transportation issue was solved in 1876, when the railway line was extended from Lithgow

Fruit growing began early in the region's history, but commercial production began around the turn of the century. The industry was pioneered by the Bathurst Government Agricultural Experiment Farm (or Agricultural Research Station), established in 1895 and was greatly expanded by soldier settlements after World War I. In response, Gordon Edgell & Sons opened a small cannery in 1926.

Bathurst Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Association

Although several ploughing matches were held during the 1850s, the first lasting agricultural society was established in 1860 at the village of O'Connell, 23.5 kilometres to the south east of Bathurst. Attempts were made as early as 1855 to establish an association for the promotion of agriculture. The local paper, the " Free Press " argued an association was necessary as farmers in the district were not taking up labour and time saving technology, such as winnowers and thrashers, as eagerly as they aught. While this early attempt at establishing an association failed, the successfully established Association had at its core the aim of encouraging scientific farming methods. The annual Shows must have had mixed success in this respect, as the technological phobias of the districts farmers were mentioned again in 1894, the press believing that farming was carried out in "a very crude manner".

An additional motivation of the Association was to gather the scattered occupants of the region together so that "ignorance would not flourish and to provide an avenue for socialisation". A reporter in 1921 in the "Bathurst Times" summed up the success the show achieved in this respect saying "Not since Bathurst has been Bathurst has there been a time - outside stress time - when the people have been so united as they are over the Show." Towards this end the Show also arranged a wide range of social activities that expanded during its history.

O'Connell held a show on Easter Monday, 9 April 1860, which was well attended. As well as a ploughing contest, there were classes for the best colonial bred bull, draught and blood stallions, brood mares, fine-wooled rams, fine-wooled ewes, pigs. poultry, wheat and farming implements. The show was held again in 1861 and 1862, with extended exhibits on both occasions.

On the completion of the 1862 show a group of prominent Bathurst citizens met with the O'Connell Association with the view to forming an association that would represent the wider region. At a public meeting on 19 June 1862 the O'Connell Association accepted an invitation to join the newly formed Bathurst Agricultural Association. The Association went through several name changes, finally settling on the Bathurst Agricultural, Horticultural and Pastoral Association.

The 1863 show was held at "Alloway Bank", the property of William Henry Suttor. By the following year land had been purchased at Raglan, 8 kilometres east of Bathurst, which was leased to a farmer to create some income. The show continued to be held in Raglan until 1868, when it was transferred to the Bathurst racecourse. The committee believed that the full potential of the show could not be realised at the Racecourse. (Sir) Francis Bathurst Suttor, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and son of William Henry Suttor, secured from the Government a land grant of 5.08 hectares (12.5 acres). The site had previously been cattle markets, established in around 1833.

The site was ready for the 1878 show, which has been held there ever since. In 1888 an extended area was granted by the Bathurst City Council and substantial alterations and additions were made to the grounds in light of this. During the following year the area was fenced, trees were planted, new horse and cattle stalls were erected and a half mile trotting track was formed. A further grant was given in 1890, which allowed the trotting track to be extended into an oval. This took the site to approximately 16.19 hectares (40 acres). The planting of trees formed a major part of the improvements to the grounds, partly as it was a stipulation of the original land grant, but also because it was seen that plantings added substantially to the public amenity of the Showgrounds. The importance that was placed on the plantings is borne out by the engagement of architect Edward Gell, for 50 pounds, to provide advice on the issue.

During the early 1860s the committee flirted with having both a spring and autumn show. Ultimately, the spring show was unsuccessful and was abandoned. From the move to their own grounds a group of structures were erected to fulfil the needs of the Show. The individual histories of some of these structures are outlined below.

In 1878 the show had been extended to two days and by 1883 it was decided that a three-day show was warranted, to ensure the auctioning of produce did not interfere with the objectives of the show. The objectives were to improve agricultural practices to be able to complete with other areas and to improve the breeding of livestock in the area.

The Bathurst Show was an annual occasion to which the district could look forward to, not only for the amusements, but also as an introduction to new ideas. At the 1876 show, for example, the newspaper noted that the women were fascinated by the preserves exhibited by Mrs. J. Rutherford. These were "in bottles of a peculiar construction and were protected by glass covers which were secured by metal rings." They were particularly applauded for their ability to preserve fruit for substantial lengths of time. Towards the end of the century, the Show brought the first rotary disc ploughs, irrigation pumps, bath heaters, milk separators and shearing equipment seen in the area. The expanding program of the Show also indicates the popularisation of new technologies in the district. The introduction of bicycle races in 1883 is a case in point.

The introduction and extension of the Main Western railway to Bathurst in the 1870s did much for the Show. The Department of Railways, for a time, offered discounted rates for those travelling to the Show. The special rates encouraged visitors from as far as Sydney and Orange to attend, the drawcard not only being the cheap travel, but also who was opening the Show. The Committee had considerable success in attracting prominent men to perform this task, including several Premiers (Sir George Dibbs, Hon. John See ), Governors ( Lord Hampden ) and other dignitaries, including Lord and Lady Jersey. This success is indicative of the esteem with which the show was held.

From 1904 attendance declined due to the announcement by the Department of Railways that it would no longer offer discounted fares. Their introduction again in 1908 lead to a rise in gate takings.

During World War One, plans were proceeding for the 1916 show, despite the war, when the committee was applied to by Captain Eade of the army to use the grounds as a military camp. Eade promised that the grounds would be returned to their previous condition and that trotting meetings could continue. The Committee agreed to the request, abandoned the 1916 show and applied to the Government to have the Government loan reduced by 700 pounds. The military took up the show grounds on 1 January 1916, but on 5 October 1916 the Macquarie River and Vale Creek flooded, forcing the Army off. The Show Committee were unhappy with the state in which the Army had left the grounds and, together with the effects of the flood, the grounds were in no state to hold a show in 1917.

A show was held in 1918, and the 1919 show was in preparation, when the Government forbade large gatherings of people in an attempt to curb the influenza epidemic. Shows continued from 1920 until 1942, when the Defence Department applied to the Committee to use the Showgrounds as a training camp. Having learnt from their experience during World War One, the Committee set a strict agreement in place to allow the Army to occupy the site. The next show was not held until 1946.

The Committee vetted the amusements to maintain propriety and good taste. The most notable additions to the program were Probasco's Circus in 1898 and Wirth's in 1901. During this period there was a continual increase in the number and variety of sideshows. The Bathurst Show became a favourite for the States travelling carnie families, being one of the most profitable, some of whom have continued to return for 100 years.