Ballarat Show organisers are looking forward to welcoming crowds through the gates for the first time in three years and have an eye on massive changes to the show in the near future.
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Next year is likely to be the last Ballarat Spring Show held at the current Creswick Road showgrounds site, with expansion and development of Mars Stadium to host the Commonwealth Games athletics in 2026 seeing the existing showgrounds become a new athletics facility to serve as a warm-up track for games athletes.
Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society announced in 2018 that the showgrounds would relocate to Mount Rowan at a site on the corner of the Midland Hwy and Rose Hill Road.
It is anticipated the first show at the new Mount Rowan showgrounds will be in 2024.
BAPS president Rick Smith said the society was in final negotiations with council on the future of the Creswick Road showgrounds site. BAPS owns a freehold area on the corner of Creswick Road and Howitt Street, but lease the remainder of the site as crown land.
"We are still in discussion with council about the purchase of that site so that will determine our relocation, but we anticipate at the stage we will relocate in 2024 with the first show at Mount Rowan," he said.
"We will be working cooperatively with the Commonwealth Games committee to make sure they are in place at the right time."
The 6.2 hectare Mount Rowan site is home to a large indoor equestrian centre, and two existing sheds to be converted into exhibition halls.
In 2019 BAPS outlined its plans for the Mount Rowan site which include an exhibition centre to cater for functions, shows and events, agricultural/primary industry promotions, training and education and markets, a food court, a 160m by 130m main oval with stepped seating, internal roads and short-term camping for Ballarat Show and equestrian participants visiting for events.
The plans have been met with concerns from nearby residents about traffic management, parking and fears about flooding.
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But right now the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society is keen to throw open the gates on the 2022 Ballarat Show after COVID forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 events.
Mr Smith said interest in show exhibitions and competitions had been a little slow but were gathering pace.
"It has taken a while to get exhibitors and competitors back to thinking about (agricultural) shows again," he said. "That's been the situation with the Melbourne Royal Show and other regional shows, and in the north shows are being cancelled because of the rain and flooding, but we are getting good entries, great exhibitors and have spent a lot of money on entertainment," he said.
Ballarat Spring Show 2022 runs from November 11 to 13.
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