Claremont Showgrounds

Claremont Showgrounds
Location Claremont, Western Australia
Coordinates 31°58′32″S 115°47′07″E / 31.97556°S 115.78528°E / -31.97556; 115.78528Coordinates: 31°58′32″S 115°47′07″E / 31.97556°S 115.78528°E / -31.97556; 115.78528
Owner Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia[1]
Operator Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia
Capacity 40,000 (Big Day Out 2011)[2]
10,000 (WAFL matches) [3]
Opened 1905
Tenants
Big Day Out (2002-2011, 2013)
Perth Royal Show
Claremont-Cottesloe Football Club (1926)
Claremont Speedway (1927-2000)
Supanova Pop Culture Expo
Claremont Football Club (2014–)

The Claremont Showgrounds near Perth, Western Australia are home to the annual Perth Royal Show. In 1902, 32 acres of land were reserved in the Perth suburb of Claremont for new showgrounds to replace the Guildford Showgrounds. The Royal Agricultural Show, of three days, was first held there in October and November 1905.[4]

History

In 1929 a pavilion and other features were built for the Western Australia Centenary.[5]

The Claremont Showgrounds are serviced by a special events railway station on the Fremantle line. Opened on 20 September 1995, it has direct connection with the showgrounds.[6] The original Showgrounds Station, opened in 1954, was located 350 metres further east with platforms on either side of the line, and required negotiating road crossings to access the showgrounds.

The Showgrounds have in the past been regularly used for WAFL football matches. Perth won its first premiership against East Fremantle there in 1907.[7] They were the original home of Claremont-Cottesloe Football Club in its first year in the WAFL before moving to Claremont Oval in 1927. On 19 March 2005, the venue was used to host a one-off WAFL match between Claremont and West Perth, with Claremont winning in front of 7,812 spectators. Due to redevelopment of Claremont Oval, Claremont used the Showgrounds as its home ground for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.[8]

Claremont Speedway

See also:Claremont Speedway

From 1927 until 2000, the 586 metres (641 yards) Claremont Speedway operated on a track around the edge of the main oval of the showgrounds. Its size saw it the largest speedway in weekly operation in a state capital in Australia.[9]

With the closure of Claremont, speedway in Perth moved to the 500 metres (550 yards) Perth Motorplex Speedway in Kwinana Beach.

See also

References

  1. ↑ RAS history
  2. ↑ The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia (31 Mar 2011). "Annual Report 2011" (pdf). Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  3. ↑ "Claremont Showground". Austadiums.com. Austadiums. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Vigilans et Audax" (3 Nov 1905). "The West Australian". The West Australian. p. 4. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  5. ↑ State reference library images of exhibits at the 1929 royal show
  6. ↑ Charlton, Eric (20 Sep 1995). "Claremont Showgrounds Railway Station opened". Ministerial Media Statements. Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  7. ↑ "Wing" (23 Aug 1945). "Australian Rules Football - Further facts about early days". The Western Mail. p. 47. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  8. ↑ Lewis, Tracey (5 April 2014). "Tigers and Lions go hunting in neutral territory". Football Budget. West Australian Football Commission. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  9. ↑ http://www.vintagespeedway.com/Claremont.html

Further reading

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