The first Junee show was held in 1888 in a paddock on the western side of the railway line, almost 3km south of Junee Railway Station. A train carried patrons to the site but the steep grade made that difficult. As there was no siding and platform, patrons had to jump from the footboards of the carriages. The show organisation was called Junee Pastoral, Agricultural and Industrial Association.
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The following year, Mr Orr, the district surveyor from Wagga, visited the site to lay out the new grounds of about five hectares, which were accessible via a “good carriage road”, the southern end of Harold Street.
At the same time, the Junee Racing Club was establishing a racecourse on “North Park”, about 4km west of Junee along the Narrandera railway line. There had previously been races in 1883 and 1884 on Crawley land, west of Bullocky Hill. In 1888, the Racing Club leased then purchased the racecourse land from Pat Heffernan of “Millbank”, paying five pounds ($10) an acre.
In 1898, the Junee P.A. & I Association sold the improvements on the original showground for 50 pounds ($100) and purchased a half-share in the racecourse property. The expenditure of around 700 pounds ($1400) included additional facilities for show patrons.
The 11th show of the association was the first held at the new site in September, 1898 and was very successful. Attendees from Temora, Young, Wagga, Cootamundra, Gundagai and Tumut boosted local numbers.
Access to the grounds was by road as well as train, which was served by a siding and platform only 50 metres from the facilities. A train from Wagga also carried patrons for race meetings.
Shows were held at the site until 1930 during the Great Depression, when declining patronage of both the annual show and racing led to losses in both organisations. In 1931, it was decided to sell the land and liquidate the assets. It is believed that the grandstand was dismantled and rebuilt at Willow Park/Laurie Daley Oval while the concrete steps remain on the site. One pavilion was moved to a district property where it is still used as a woolshed.
In 1934, the Junee Municipal Council applied to alienate about 11 hectares of Crown land from Junee Park to provide a new showground. This land was dedicated on June 7, 1934. A new organisation, the Junee Pastoral, Agricultural, Horticultural and Industrial Association (P.A.H. & I. Association) was formed in 1935 and held the first show on the new grounds.
After a low key start, in the next few years, the annual show became established with a excellent exhibits, livestock, horticulture and farm produce judging, ring events, trots and sideshow alley.
