A place to enjoy living, recreating, socialising, competing, engagement, and greater community connection.
The Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania was first established in 1821 as the Van Dieman’s Land Agricultural Society. It is the oldest agricultural show society in Australia. It exists to promote excellence in Tasmania’s products and resources through exhibition and education. It does this primarily through the staging of the Royal Hobart Show, the Royal Tasmanian Fine Food Awards and the Royal Hobart Wine Show.
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In recent decades, the Society has diversified its interests to remain financially sustainable. The Society purchased the current site, the Royal Hobart Showground, in 1906 and has been based at this site ever since. The current business model relies on generating commercial income to support community interests and deliver on our mission. The site has been consistently used by 100’s of community groups on a ‘non-commercial’ basis for decades. The Society feels that it is extremely important for such groups to be able to undertake their activities close to where they reside.
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The journey of the past 15 years has enabled RAST to consolidate and focus on some significant commercial growth to underpin the future direction of the site. That vision is now well advanced with an approved masterplan and a $42M Tasmanian State government grant to support new showground infrastructure, currently under construction. A concept housing plan has been developed and lodged for approval. A new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has been installed and is expected to be connected in 2026. Combined these elements will create a community precinct that exhibits a significant commitment to social advancement, good governance, excellent environmental stewardship, and an economically sustainable business generating profit to support community. It will enable RAST to further its objectives without the need for ongoing government support and to be an exemplar in terms of how the site supports community while providing desperately needed housing.
To keep the Royal Hobart Show relevant and contemporary the RAST recognises that it must invest in its flagship event to maintain audience share in an increasingly competitive events industry. Greater government investment in events in Tasmania has lifted production values significantly and, in turn, public expectations. The Society believes there is a more pressing urgency to promoting agriculture to an urban audience in the current climate. The need to educate people about the demand for greater food production, the need to counter the increase in negative perceptions of agriculture being generated by certain groups opposed to aspects of the industry, and the need to switch suburban children onto the opportunities that exist within agriculture to address current and future skills shortages remain paramount.
12 years ago, the Society developed a master plan for our 18HA site that incorporated a mix of opportunities for both commercial and community outcomes. That masterplan articulated a vision whereby the site is utilised more often for a range of both community and profitable events. Under that masterplan RAST facilitated the development of 2 commercial precincts to house Bunnings, Spotlight, Anaconda and Pet Stock on 6 HA of the site. This was achieved without any government assistance and, further, RAST was able to utilise both developments and developers to achieve the widening and other improvements to Howard Rd making it more suitable for its “B-Double Route’ designation at no cost to government or council. A subsequent review and rework of the master plan supplemented the original vision with a model for medium density housing on the site over approx. 3HA. This was deemed to be a ‘good fit’ for the site as it would:
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Potentially enable the development of a community of interest for the site
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Provide engagement outcomes within the Society and its network of community organisations for those living on-site
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Increase passive security
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Increase overall utilisation
The Next Chapter..
A community development of national standing..
Imagine a community just north of Hobart city centre. Then think of 12ha of near empty land in the centre of this community which is itself somewhat socially distanced from the city centre just nine kilometres away. Consider a local community organisation building a virtual new suburb in this empty space, including housing, recreational and event assets. Think of a project – this project – which has no detractors, no opposition, and has generated widespread community goodwill as well as bipartisan political support.
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The Hobart Showground redevelopment is being undertaken by the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania, which has owned the Showground since it was a bush block over 100 years ago. It is a space one third the size of the Hobart CBD. It is being turned into a place for living, recreating, interacting, celebrating, and enjoying events throughout the year. Used only occasionally through the decades, this big metropolitan precinct is coming alive as a community asset: new homes, events, local community activities, and a sustainable future for visitors, residents, and the local community.
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RAST is not a commercial developer. It is a long-standing community organisation. It brings to this project an intrinsic understanding of local issues and needs. That is why the project is proceeding with the goodwill of the community. Itself more than 200 years old, RAST is one of Australia’s oldest institutions, and a not-for-profit mutual organisation.
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The development precinct is not - like some commercial developments - remote from services. It is in the heart of the northern suburbs and is bordered by two major transport corridors into Hobart CBD. It will help shrink Hobart and bring the people of greater metropolitan Hobart closer together. In the words of one government minister, it represents an exemplar for in-fill housing. And it is now beyond just a vision. The new Showground development is well underway in a collaborative approach involving the RAST, local government, state government, and the local community.
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It will emerge as an entirely new part of town. What were stables for horses will become town houses. What was a greyhound racing track will become a green arena for Australia’s oldest major agricultural show. In addition, RAST’s long standing commitment to the area means that local clubs and sporting groups will continue to be supported by RAST which provides club rooms, meeting spaces, and training grounds to local groups at below commercial user rates. Construction is now well advanced: a community development model of national significance is delivering for the people of Hobart.
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Secures the future of the Society.
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Secures the future of the Royal Hobart Show, which is the oldest Agricultural Show in Australia.
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Turns an under-utilised showground into a vibrant community asset.
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Retains space for community clubs, sports and activities.
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Provides Hobart with a crisis refuge for people and animals in times of civil disruption such as bushfires.
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Provides significant relief to Hobart’s affordable housing crisis.
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Increased community utilisation of the Showground.
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ESD - Ecological Sustainable Design – principles mean the precinct will be set in an area which is more than 40% dedicated to green space.
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Not a project driven by commercial developers, but a project by a community organisation that delivers community benefits.