1928

The Main Arena at the Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA). The Royal Queensland Show or 'Ekka' as Queenslanders refer to it, is staged by the Showgrounds in August each year and attracts more than 600,000 visitors. Located adjacent to the Brisbane CBD at Bowen Hills, the Showgrounds are bound by Bowen Bridge Road, O'Connell Terrace, St Paul's Terrace, and Gregory. The main arena is surrounded by several stands with a total seating capacity of 20,526. Standing room for an additional 4,964 people brings the ground's capacity to 25,490. The oldest stand on the ground is The John McDonald Stand (1906), which seats 2,225 people. The Ernest Baynes Stand, when opened in 1922, seated almost 4,000 people. The top section of the double-deck stand closed in 1985 following a safety inspection. When renovated in 1993, an 'old-fashioned' roof replaced the closed-off section. Today, it seats 1,750 people. The Members Stand, situated between the McDonald and Baynes stands, was opened in 1972 and seats 778. The concrete terrace that stretches around the northern end of the ground is called Machinery Hill and seats almost 11,000 people. Twenty-eight first-class cricket matches were been played at the Exhibition Ground between 1893 and 1931, including two Tests and thirteen Sheffield Shield matches. The Exhibition Ground became the main venue for cricket in Brisbane in 1923/24 and was the venue for the match played between the touring MCC team and an Australian XI in 1924/25. The Test against England in 1928/29 was the first Test played in Brisbane and featured the debut of D.G. Bradman, who scored 18 and 1. The ground measured 142 x 155m fence-to-fence. The third Test of the series against the West Indies in 1930/31 was the last first-class game played at the ground. Source: www.austadiums.com/stadiums/brisbane-showgrounds

The southern Gold Coast's famous sandy beaches and world-class surf breaks conclude at Coolangatta, renowned for its casual beach-side culture. Named after the schooner Coolangatta which was wrecked here in 1846, this suburb exudes an old-school beachside charm. It combines this with oceanfront accommodation, cafes, restaurants and clubs. Flock to Coolangatta for retro festivals and, due to the summer time difference with Tweed Heads, celebrate New Year’s twice. Now that’s a good resolution. Source: www.queensland.com/au/en/places-to-see/destination-inform...

Beach-side culture.

Morning Calisthenics on USS Saratoga while at Puget Sound in Set 1928. Vought UO observation plane.