RNABrisbaneShowgroundsMainArenaUpgrade
BowenHills,QLD
101
Weeks to build
20,000
Seats
22
Hectares
103
Years working at RNA
Building the next chapter of an iconic Queensland destination
More than 100 years after building the Ernest Baynes Stand, Hutchies is back at the Brisbane Showgrounds as builder of the $220 million Machinery Hill Grandstand, Horse Pavilion and associated accessibility upgrades.
The project is delivered by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) in partnership with the Queensland Government. It will transform the 20,000-seat Main Arena, deliver a new Machinery Hill grandstand and a new multi-storey horse pavilion, and open up accessible routes across the 22 hectare precinct.
Work started on 24 August 2026, straight after the 150th Ekka. Completion is expected in 2028. The Ekka stays at Bowen Hills the whole way through.
A relationship spanning more than a century
Our connection with the Showgrounds began in 1923, when Hutchies completed the Ernest Baynes Stand in time for that year's Brisbane Exhibition. When it opened it seated 5,000, with a total capacity of 7,000, and it remains one of the precinct's most recognisable landmarks.
In 2012, we celebrated our own centenary at the Showgrounds, with the Ernest Baynes Stand as the backdrop.
Over the past century, we've delivered a range of projects across the precinct. These include additional works for the RNA in 1925 and enhancements to Bowen Park in 1927 based on designs by renowned Brisbane architect Richard Gailey Jnr. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, we delivered a series of fitouts and operational upgrades to the precinct, then the Rydges Hotel RNA in 2016 and Marquee #2 in 2017. In 2026, we’re completing the Build-to-Rent project Exhibition Place Tower 1 for developer Lendlease.
Together, these projects reflect a long-standing partnership with the RNA and the continued evolution of the Brisbane Showgrounds.
As Queensland marks 150 years of Ekka, we're proud to help create a venue that will support agriculture, entertainment, sport and community events for generations to come.
#History
Hutchies and Brisbane Showgrounds go way back.
