THE ROYAL MELBOURNE SHOW

The Royal Melbourne Show has been a signature event in Melbourne since 1848, when it started as a ploughing competition in Moonee Ponds.  Organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), the Show is Victoria's largest and longest running annual public entertainment event. It is iconic in its own right, attracting around half a million visitors each year. In 2005 the Royal Melbourne Show celebrated its 150th Show.

The 30 acres site at Ascot Vale was given to the National Agricultural Society of Victoria (the predecessor of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria in 1882 and the first show was held there in 1883.  The Royal Melbourne Showgrounds are Victoria's largest and pre-eminent agricultural showground complex.

Until 2005 the substantial grounds contained a large number of buildings.  The most distinctive building type was the large, long red-brick or concrete basilica-like halls, built between 1910 and the 1930s, with lower side-aisles and a central raised section with a clerestory between, where animals were exhibited.

By the early 2000s the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds had become dilapidated and in need of refurbishment.  As a result, the State Government announced a redevelopment of the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds site, to be carried out as a joint venture partnership with the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and private sector investors, with all work to be completed by the 2006 Royal Melbourne Show.

In 2005 and 2006 the site underwent a substantial redevelopment, increasing open space and providing new buildings. The Epsom Road frontage, the site of the Dog Pavilion, show rings and the Woodfull Pavilion is no longer a part of the showgrounds, its development included a medical centre, supermarket, shops and office space.  The heritage listed Woodfull Pavilion, used for dog judging over the last 100 years, was incorporated into the development, which opened in August 2009.

The Woodfull Pavilion was important as the most architecturally impressive hall on the site, complemented by nineteenth century statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.   The restored Woodfull Pavilion now provides a new streetscape for Epsom Road.

While there's no doubt the Show has grown with the times, it still retains its connection with the land, featuring some of the largest and most prestigious exhibitions of animals and rural life in the southern hemisphere. The Royal Melbourne Championship Dog Show is the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Although the Royal Melbourne Show is not a GRCV club event it is an important date in the club’s calendar. The dog show is always judged by a panel of international Judges and is accompanied by Obedience, Agility, Jumping and Games Trials.

Dogs in bold text     Bitches in plain text