Getting to RNA Showgrounds
The RNA Showgrounds at Bowen Hills, home of the Ekka and year-round concerts, expos and markets. Here's how to get there by train and bus, including on Ekka days.
Getting here by train, bus & ferry
The closest stop for each mode within a reasonable walk. Walk times are estimates; the trip planner has live times for your exact journey.
Next departures · Bowen Hills
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How to get to RNA Showgrounds
🚆 By train
Bowen Hills station is a short walk. On Ekka and big event days, the special Exhibition station opens right at the grounds.
🚌 By bus
Buses run nearby through Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley.
🚶 From the city
A few minutes by train, or a 20 minute walk through the Valley.
Getting home after the event
On Ekka and big event days, extra trains run from the special Exhibition station right at the grounds. Otherwise Bowen Hills station is a short walk, with NightLink trains on weekend nights. Check the last service before you head off.
Check the last service →Before the event
Fortitude Valley
Eats and nightlife
Bowen Hills cafes
Coffee near the station
About RNA Showgrounds
The Showgrounds have hosted the Ekka, the Royal Queensland Show, every August since 1876, run by the RNA which was founded in 1875. Beyond the Ekka, the Bowen Hills site holds concerts, expos and markets through the year, and is being redeveloped into a major new urban precinct.
For ten days each August the grounds fill for the Ekka, with showbags, rides, fireworks, prize-winning produce and the famous strawberry sundaes. The rest of the year the halls and arenas host expos, concerts and markets.
On the night
On Ekka and big event days, ride straight to the special Exhibition station at the grounds and let the extra services do the work. The rest of the year, Bowen Hills station is a short walk, so check the last train before you head off.
Parking at RNA Showgrounds
⚠️ Very limited, and it fills
Parking at the Showgrounds is tight on any event day and genuinely difficult during the Ekka, when the surrounding streets fill early and the commercial car parks around Bowen Hills and the Valley book out. Sources disagree about how much onsite parking is available during the show and none of them publish a current rate, so treat anything you read as needing confirmation.
Where people park instead
- 🅿️ Pre-booked commercial parking around Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley, which is the only way to be sure of a space during the Ekka
- 🅿️ Valley Metro and King Street car parks, both a walk from the grounds
- 🅿️ Park 'n' ride at a station further out and ride in, which sidesteps the whole problem
This is the one venue where the transport argument makes itself. Trains run into Exhibition station inside the grounds during the Ekka, so you step off the platform and you are there, for 50 cents. No car park gets you closer.
Park 'n' ride at a station and take the train instead →RNA Showgrounds travel questions
How do I get to the RNA Showgrounds?+
Bowen Hills station is a short walk, and on Ekka and big event days the special Exhibition station opens right at the grounds.
What's the nearest station to the Showgrounds?+
Bowen Hills year-round, plus the Exhibition station on Ekka and major event days.
How do I get to the Ekka by train?+
Special Ekka services run to the Exhibition station right at the grounds; otherwise use Bowen Hills station, a short walk away.
Is there parking at the Ekka?+
Parking around the Showgrounds is limited and fills early during the show, and the commercial car parks nearby book out. If you must drive, pre-book. Check the official Ekka site for what is available and what it costs this year, because the arrangements and rates change annually. The alternative is genuinely better here: Ekka trains run into Exhibition station inside the grounds for a flat 50 cents.
How much is public transport to the venue?+
Every trip on the South East Queensland network is a flat 50c fare with a go card, your phone or a bank card.
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