Maclean Show

The Lower Clarence Agricultural Society was formed at Maclean on October 22, 1890, with David See as first president and G. Dunnett as secretary. Floods and unemployment delayed the first show until 1893. The present showground was vested in the society in July 1902. In 1904, Maclean’s first infant school building was relocated there and converted into a Fine Arts Hall, still in use today. Trusteeship passed to Maclean Shire Council in 1970, and the grounds were re-dedicated as a recreation reserve. Since then, extensive voluntary labour and community support have developed impressive amenities. Overlooking the grounds is the 54-metre “Big Fig Tree,” one of Australia’s tallest Moreton Bay figs, estimated to be more than 200 years old and already a landmark when the first European settlers reached “Rocky Mouth” in 1838.