Bega Show

Early efforts to establish an agricultural show began in 1857 with a ploughing match, but it was not until 1871 that the Bega Agricultural and Pastoral Society was formed. The first show followed in 1872, held behind the School of Arts under the presidency of Robert Ritchie. The event later moved to Bega Park, where a simple pavilion was erected, before the society secured a permanent site in 1886. A more substantial pavilion was built in 1905. In 1943, the show was recognised as the “Far South Coast National Show.” The society is also notable for owning a small farming property on the outskirts of Bega, gifted in perpetuity in 1917.