The Bairnsdale & District Agricultural Show Society was reportedly founded around 1873/1874, and in 2024 we are celebrating the 143rd Bairnsdale Show. Yes, you might look at the numbers and think, “hey, 1873 was more than 143 years ago” – that is because the only times the Bairnsdale Show did not go ahead were during the years of war and in recent times during the global pandemic.

Thanks to the East Gippsland Historical Society, current members Tegan and Stacey were able to take a step back in time and trawl through over a hundred years worth of news articles and documents to piece together the history of the show.

One of the main findings of the early historical documents was that the show society was made entirely of male members. Today in 2024, our full executive committee is female #girlpower. While that isn’t the most important thing within the Society’s history, it was very interesting to take a step back in time and realize how far the world has come today.

When looking back through previous members’ names, you begin to notice a lot of prominent family names that are now some of our main roads in Bairnsdale – McLeod, Ross, Buchanan, O’Brien – just to name a few.

The Show is held in November each year, which means that the weather can always be very unpredictable. Many years saw heavy rain and hail, but it did not stop the show going ahead. In recent years, we have had mass flooding in the weeks leading up to the big day and come show day, we have been hit with temps around 30 degrees. It certainly can put a damper on the day, however, many exhibitors in the region never let the weather stop them from their hard work.

One of the recurring statements we hear is “why did the show move out to the Racecourse, the Bairnsdale Oval was a perfect spot?” – well, looking through the archives, it seems that the conversation to move started back in the 70s – with both the Shire and the Society in heavy discussion around where the best location was. It seems the decision was made in the 80s to relocate the Show to the Racecourse, where it remains held today. The biggest theme throughout the discussion was the size required to safely put on such a big event. Many Agricultural Shows are lucky to have their own grounds, and while our Society runs on the Racecourse, we are very lucky to have such a grand space to entertain.

As the new committee continues to adapt to the world these days, we try our best to honor the history of the Show, while making new history for ourselves.

Below are some images we found in the archives at the Bairnsdale Historical Society Museum.

If you are a history buff and want to go explore the archives of the region, or have the time to volunteer, the Historical Society is the place to go.

Thank you to the East Gippsland Historical Society – Museum located 40 Macarthur Street, Bairnsdale- right next to the Bairnsdale Football oval.
https://www.eastgippslandhistoricalsociety.com