The Rich History of the Parkes Agricultural Show

Well, it’s that time of year again: time for the annual Parkes Show. Showgoers can look forward to three days and two nights of a wide range of festivities. There will be all the usual events: the showjumping; the judging of stock; displays of local produce; carnival rides; and of course, showbags!! But when did the Parkes show begin and what did the show look like in the past?

The Parkes Agricultural Show has been taking place for over 100 years, with the first show taking place in February 1880. The decision to mount an Agricultural Show has taken place the previous year, when the Agricultural and Horticultural Association was formed in September 1879.  Compared to other nearby towns in the Central West, Parkes was a bit of a latecomer in mounting an agricultural show, with neighbouring Forbes mounting their first show six years earlier in 1874. The larger centres of Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst had commenced agricultural shows even earlier, in 1873 and 1863 respectively. To understand why the Parkes Show didn’t commence until 1880, when other nearby areas had commenced their shows earlier, we must look at what the township of Parkes was like during that time.

Early Years of the Show

Parkes had long been a gold mining town, and gold mining still dominated the district at this time as did the extensive pastoral holdings of the large stations in the area and agriculture was not yet a large part of the local economy. Wheat was the primary grain crop and at this time Northern Hemisphere varieties were still grown, which did not flourish in our area. This changed in the 1880s, when more drought resistant varieties were introduced and agriculture in the Parkes area began to expand. Perhaps this was the impetus behind the first Parkes Agricultural Show, or perhaps it was a mere coincidence. Either way, the timing was excellent with agriculture expanding over the next decade. The Land Act of 1884 was a major factor in this expansion, as it sped up the process of land ownership and made more land available for smaller farms.

So once a committee had been formed and the decision made to mount an Agricultural Show the first Parkes Show took place on Thursday February 19, 1880. The Sydney Mail reported that the show took place in a “very nice paddock within half-a-mile of the town” and commended the committee on their efforts in preparing for the show as well as their work on the day. The associations secretary, one Mr. J. A. Rose, received a special mention in the report for his excellent efforts on the day of the show. Mother Nature presented beautiful weather for the day, and the turnout was 400-500 people attending on the first afternoon.

This attendance was apparently encouraging enough for the Association to not only decide to host the Show annually, but to acquire their own grounds and enclose it with a picket fence. This fence was required in order for the Association to charge an entrance fee. In those early days, the Showground itself was very bare and the only structure on it was a large bough shelter which housed some of the exhibits. Over the intervening years, more structures and more land were added bit by bit to make the showground we know today.

Those familiar with the Parkes Show will know that nowadays it occurs every August, but in the first few years the annual show took place in February. The reason for this is not known, but a contributing factor may have been that it took several years for the showground to boast enough structures to hold exhibits indoors and February was a month that was less likely to experience rainy weather. The shows in those early years were also strictly one-day affairs.

Growth of the Show

By 1885, the show had gained enough popularity that the Association decided that two shows per year were in order: one in February and one in August. However, due to a lack of records from that time we don’t know if two shows continued to be staged in the intervening years. What we do know from minute books is that by 1900, the two-day August show was a well-established tradition.

 Since then, the show has been held every year with three notable exceptions. The 1942 show was abandoned due to wartime restrictions and more recently the 2020 and 2021 shows were abandoned due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Over the years, the show continued to grow and the first night show was added to the 1956 program. 1967 saw the extension of the show to include two nights, giving us the three-day show we know today. The show also gradually added features over the years to draw in a wider range of showgoers. This included setting up a Sideshow Alley at each annual show, adding rides such as merry-go-rounds, and other diversions such as boxing tents.

Much of the popularity and growth of the Parkes Show, certainly in those early years, was due to the coming of the railway to the area. This meant that special trains from neighbouring areas could be put on for the annual occasion, with a special train service from Forbes being firmly established by 1900. Trains from Orange were to follow in 1904, and a special train from Peak Hill was established in 1914. By 1917, a special train from Trundle had also been added. With the rise of motor vehicles in the 1920s, train services were scaled back but reintroduced in the years of WWII due to petrol rationing.

However, after the end of the war petrol became readily available once more and the trains were gradually discontinued. Today we have modern transportation and decent roads to transport us to the show, wherever we may be travelling from. In contrast, people still largely relied on the horse and cart as a way of getting to Parkes from outlying areas right up until the end of WWII. And so, the provision of special trains was a boon for the development of the Parkes Show and ensured that people from the wider Central West could attend the show.

The Show Today

Today, the Parkes Agricultural Show is an annual event that takes place across three days and two nights. The show continues to have an agricultural and horticultural focus, in keeping with our regional location, but has expanded over the years to include rides and showbags; two firework shows; and a wide array of entertainment across the three days and two nights of the show.

SHARE WITH US:

What are your memories of attending your local agricultural show? We’d love to hear from you. Share your memories by making a comment below.

HAVE WE MISSED SOMETHING???

Spotted a mistake? Maybe you have something to add. If you have stories, photographs and/or memories of The Parkes Show that you are willing to share, please contact Parkes Shire Library via samantha.starr@parkes.nsw.gov.au. Your stories are part of the history of the Parkes Shire, allow us to preserve them for posterity and share them on this blog. Alternatively you may leave comments on this page.

REFERENCE LIST

• Parkes Agricultural and Horticultural Show Society (1980). Century of Parkes Shows 1880-1980, Parkes N.S.W, Champion Post Print.
• Chambers, Ian (1988). Parkes: A Photographic History, Parkes N.S.W.
• Parkes In Photos of Years Gone By Facebook page, accessed 20 August 2025
• Parkes Show, Australian Town and Country Journal, 12 August 1908, retrieved 20 August 2025 from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/263936766?browse=ndp%3Abrowse%2Ftitle%2FA%2Ftitle%2F52%2F1908%2F08%2F12%2Fpage%2F29467774%2Farticle%2F263936766
• 2021 Parkes Show Cancellation, Parkes Show Society Facebook page, accessed 20 August 2025
• Historical Land Records Viewer (HRLV) – Town Maps, Parkes https://hlrv.nswlrs.com.au/
• Parkes Agricultural and Horticultural Show, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 28 February 1880, retrieved 20 August 2025 from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/161880449?browse=ndp%3Abrowse%2Ftitle%2FS%2Ftitle%2F698%2F1880%2F02%2F28%2Fpage%2F16495897%2Farticle%2F161880449
• PARKES, The Town and Country Journal, 27 September 1879, retrieved 20 August 2025 from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70973276?browse=ndp%3Abrowse%2Ftitle%2FA%2Ftitle%2F52%2F1879%2F09%2F27%2Fpage%2F5987074%2Farticle%2F70973276