With the 116th edition of the Orbost Agricultural Show less than a week away, the Snowy River Mail delved into the archives to learn more about the event’s history.
The first show was held in March 1892 on part of the Orbost Homestead property close to where AG Warehouse is today. Subsequent shows were held here and on the recreation reserve up until 1903.
On March 3, 1904, the society conducted its show on land which had been given to the society by Sir William Clarke, and was located on the south side of Jarrahmond Road.
The land was soon considered to be unsuitable, so the society decided to sell it and in conjunction with the golf and racing clubs purchase 100 acres from Isaac Perry and transfer the show to the site of the current Orbost Golf Club (Golf Links).
The first show held at the ground took place on March 7, 1929 and was described as a “very fine exhibition”.
The Snowy River Mail reported in the Wednesday, March 13, 1929 edition that “The weather was fine. It was neither hot or cold, and dust was not in evidence.”
The Orbost Show has not always been held in the autumn.
In line with most other Gippsland shows the 45th (1938) and 46th (1939) Orbost Shows were successful spring time events, after a committee meeting held on Wednesday, February 23, 1938, a motion favouring a spring show was adopted.
The November 1939 show was the last held at the Golf Links site, when owing to the 1939-45 war the society went into recess.
The operations of the Orbost Agricultural Society were wound up at a meeting held on Wednesday, June 17 1942, when all its assets, including the share held in the land, was disposed of.
Fast forward to Wednesday, March 24, 1954, a meeting was held to reform the Orbost Agricultural Society, which had been inoperative since the last show held in November 1939.
However the first show, organised by the newly reformed society, was not held until Monday, March 12, 1956 at Lochiel Park.
It once again became an autumn show which has continued to the present day. The Snowy River Mail wrote in its Wednesday, March 14, 1956 edition that “Reformed after a long lapse, Orbost’s first agricultural show since 1939, held at Lochiel Park on Monday, was a grand triumph and has set firm foundations upon which to build future annual exhibitions to reflect the wonderful agricultural, pastoral and dairying wealth of this grand district with its great potentials not as yet fully developed.
“Lochiel Park proved an excellent setting for the holding of the exhibition.”
Orbost Agricultural Shows were held at Lochiel Park until 1976.
The construction of the Princes Highway, viaducts and bridges across the Snowy River flats, opened in 1976, took out a portion of Lochiel Park, reducing the area available for the show.
As a result, the show ground was relocated to the Newmerella Recreation Reserve, with the first show being held there in March
1977.
Fast forward to today and the Orbost Show is still held at the Newmerella Recreation Reserve on the Monday Labour Day holiday each year.
