Adelaide Showground

Lore & Background

The Adelaide Showground has been controlled by the RAHS since the 1920s, the land having been purchased by the South Australian government prior to the First World War. The Royal Show moved to the present site in 1925. In 2006, the formal title was changed from 'Royal Adelaide Showground' to 'Adelaide Showground'. In 2008, Premier Mike Rann announced the installation of the largest rooftop solar installation in Australia on the new Goyder Pavilion, an $8 million project with 10,000 square metres of solar panels, generating approximately 14,000 kilowatt-hours of solar electricity per year (1.14 megawatt-hours annually) and registering the Showground as a power station.

The main arena, known as the Wayville Speedway or Adelaide Speedway from 1926 until 1934, is sometimes called 'The birthplace of Australian Speedway', though dirt track speedway actually started in Maitland, New South Wales, in 1923. The egg-shaped track, approximately 500 yards (457 meters) in length, was promoted in 1928 as 'The World's Fastest Dirt Track Speedway'. Wayville stopped hosting speedway meetings after 1934; reasons remain unclear, with theories including damage from harness racing and the Great Depression. Speedway returned in 1986 after a 52-year gap.

The arena was also the home ground of the West Adelaide Football Club from 1927 until after the 1939 season due to World War II, and was the home of harness racing in Adelaide from 1934 until 1973.

Reader's Guide

The Adelaide Showground holds a unique place in Australian sporting and cultural history. As the long-time home of the Royal Adelaide Show, it has been a central venue for agricultural exhibitions and community events for nearly a century. Its speedway legacy is particularly notable: during its heyday from 1926 to 1934, the venue attracted crowds of up to 35,000 and hosted world-class riders, including future World Champions Lionel Van Praag and Bluey Wilkinson. The track's reputation as one of the fastest in Australia made it a landmark in the sport's early development. The Showground also served as the home of West Adelaide Football Club during its 1927 premiership year and as Adelaide's primary harness racing track for nearly four decades. In the 21st century, the site gained recognition for its massive solar installation, which registered it as a power station. The venue continues to host major exhibitions, conferences, and examinations, maintaining its role as a versatile community asset. Its record for the longest gap between hosting an Australian speedway championship—70 years between 1932 and 2002—underscores its enduring but intermittent connection to the sport.

Did You Know?

• The Adelaide Showground has one of the largest under-cover exhibition spaces in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Wayville held the record for the longest wait between hosting an Australian speedway championship: 69 years (1933 to 2002).