Claremont Showground

History

During World War I and World War II, the showgrounds were used to house and train Australian troops.

In 1929, a pavilion and other features were built for the Western Australia Centenary.

The Claremont Showground is serviced by a special events railway station on the Fremantle line. Opened on 20 September 1995, it has direct connection with the showgrounds. The original Showgrounds Station, opened in 1954, was located 350 m further east with platforms on either side of the line, and required negotiating road crossings to access the showgrounds.

Bruce Campbell Arena

The Bruce Campbell Arena, an enclosed grass field forms the focal point of events at the Showgrounds.

Speedway

Main article: Claremont Speedway

From 1927 until 2000, the 586 m Claremont Speedway operated on a track around the edge of the arena. Its size made it the largest speedway in weekly operation in a state capital in Australia.

With the closure of Claremont, speedway in Perth moved to the 500 m Perth Motorplex Speedway in Kwinana Beach.

Australian rules football

The arena has in the past been used for Australian rules football matches. In the West Australian Football League (WAFL), Perth won its first premiership against East Fremantle there in 1907. They were the original home of Claremont-Cottesloe Football Club in its first year in the WAFL before moving to Claremont Oval in 1927. On 19 March 2005, the venue was used to host a one-off WAFL match between Claremont and West Perth, with Claremont winning in front of 7,812 spectators. Due to redevelopment of Claremont Oval, Claremont used the Showgrounds as its home ground between 2014 and 2016.

References

References

1. [http://www.perthroyalshow.com.au/raswa/about/history/ RAS history] {{webarchive. link. (24 September 2008)
2. The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia. (31 Mar 2011). "Annual Report 2011".
3. "Claremont Showground". Austadiums.
4. Vigilans et Audax. (3 Nov 1905). "The West Australian".
5. "Timeline". RASWA.
6. [http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/search~S1?/Xclaremont+showgrounds&searchscope=1&Da=&Db=&p=&SORT=D/Xclaremont+showgrounds&searchscope=1&Da=&Db=&p=&SORT=D&SUBKEY=claremont%20showgrounds/1%2C91%2C91%2CB/frameset&FF=Xclaremont+showgrounds&searchscope=1&Da=&Db=&p=&SORT=D&27%2C27%2C State reference library images of exhibits at the 1929 royal show]
7. Charlton, Eric. (August 2023). "Claremont Showgrounds Railway Station opened". Government of Western Australia.
8. "Bruce Campbell Arena". Claremont Showground.
9. (October 2025}}{{date missing). "Claremont}}{{author missing".
10. Wing. (23 Aug 1945). "Australian Rules Football - Further facts about early days". The Western Mail.
11. Lewis, Tracey. (5 April 2014). "Tigers and Lions go hunting in neutral territory". West Australian Football Commission.