This article describes the history, development and current status of the game or sport of lawn bowling in Australia. A description of the sport and its European history are included in Bowls. That article notes that the game is variously referred to as "bowls", "lawn bowls" or "lawn bowling".
It has been claimed that the first bowling green in the Southern Hemisphere was constructed about 1840 on Norfolk Island (an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia) near Government House.
Tasmania
Perhaps ignorant of the game on Norfolk Island, others believe that bowls began in Tasmania, and Australia, with a game at the Beach Tavern, Sandy Bay, in 1845. However interest there lapsed and bowls was not recognised as a sport in Tasmania until the formation of the Launceston (1883) and Hobart (1891) Bowling Clubs [1]. In 1901 the Tasmanian Bowling Association was formed.
New South Wales
Bowls Australia reports that there was a bowling club in Aberdeen, New South Wales (NSW) in 1848. Balmain Bowling Club began in 1887. North Sydney Bowling Club began in 1888 at St Leonards Park [2].Lowlands Bowling Club was founded on September 21st, 1892, making it the oldest active registered club in the Greater Newcastle region. In 1880 NSW Association became the first bowling association in the world.
Victoria
There is a detailed history of bowling clubs in Victoria at Lawn Bowls Australia In 1852 one thousand spectators paid to watch a match at the Bowling Green Hotel green between civilians and the military. In 1864 Melbourne Bowls Club was formed and is now the oldest existing bowling club in Australia. In the same year, clubs were formed at Ballarat and Fitzroy and the first bowls made in Australia were turned by Mr Alcock of Russell Street, Melbourne.
In the next few years, many new clubs were formed in Victoria; 1865 – St Kilda and City of Melbourne, 1868 – Carlton, Learmonth and Richmond, 1872 – Buninyong and Cambridge College Club, (Private Club), 1873 – South Melbourne and Creswick. In 1880 the Victorian Bowling Association was formed and the first Women's bowls match played in Australia took place at Stawel, Victoria. In 1907 the first Women's Bowls Association was formed in Australia.
South Australia
The first game of bowls in South Australia was played on a green put down by Andrew Thomson at Kapunda in 1876. Adelaide Bowling Club was founded in 1897 and is the oldest bowling club in South Australia.
Queensland
In 1878 Brisbane Bowls Club formed with the green situated in the Botanic Gardens). This club subsequently became Booroodabin Bowls Club.
Western Australia
In 1895 Perth Bowls Club was formed. Clubs followed at Fremantle and Gnowangerup in 1896 and at Shark Bay in 1897. In 1898 the Western Bowling Association was formed. Albany Bowling Club started in 1899. Bowls WA lists 263 clubs that have existed between 1895 and 2022 [3].
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Canberra City Bowling Club (ACT) formed in 1930.
National history
Bowls Australia has published foundation years of 2595 bowling clubs in Australia between 1846 and1918. In 1880 the first match between colonies, states, dominions or countries was played between NSW and Victoria at Kentville (NSW). The Formation of Australian Bowls Council occurred in 1911.
The British Commonwealth Empire Games were held in Sydney in 1938. AWBC (Women's National Championship) were held in Brisbane, Queensland in 1963 with 2,300 bowlers competing. Australia visited South Africa and played three test matches. The series was won by South Africa 2–1.
The first World Outdoor Bowls Championships for men, with sixteen countries competing in singles, pairs and fours, were played at Kyeemagh Bowls Club (NSW) in 1996 and scheduled to be conducted every four years. The Championships were televised by ABC Television with Ampol Petroleum Ltd as the sponsor. The series trophy – the W.M. Leonard Trophy – was won by Australia. Australia won Gold Medals in Pairs and Triples and a Silver Medal in the Fours. Australian men did not win a next World Championship until 2000 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Women's world titles began in Sydney in 1969. Australia first won the title in 1977. Since 2008 the men's and women's events have been held together. After the 2023 Championships at Gold Coast, Australia, the Australian team was scored as the leading team in the 27 years of competition, followed by New Zealand, Scotland and England. After disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to have the Championships every two years. The next Championship is planned for Hong Kong, China in 2025.
The World Bowls Championships had major TV coverage of bowls in Australia and encouraged the development of the ABC television series, Mazda Jack High which ran from 1981 to 2011. The series brought together four top Australians against four leading overseas contenders.
Brisbane hosted Commonwealth Games in 1982.
First Australian Indoor Championship was held at Tweed Heads Stadium, won by D. Dalton (NSW) in 1988.
Australian best ever performance at Commonwealth Games winning three gold medals. Rob Parrella – Men's Singles. Ian Schuback and Trevor Morris – Mens Pairs and Women's Fours was in 1990.
In 1991 the Australian Bowls Council adopted a new corporate name and became Bowls Australia Inc. Delegates were reduced from three to two for each the six States and one each for ACT and NT.
In 1994 Australia won Gold Medals in men's Pairs at the Commonwealth Games. Rex Johnston and Cameron Curtis, who was the youngest ever gold medal winner at 23 years of age.
In 1998 a contract was secured with ABC TV and Fox Sports who guaranteed over 30 hours of free to air and 70 hours of pay TV for the sport.
Bowls Australia successfully staged the inaugural Australian Open at the Yarraville-Footscray Bowling Club 15–19 March 2005.
In 2005, in conjunction with the Australian Open, Bowls Australia together with Sport Inclusion Australia (formerly AUSRAPID) [4] hosted the inaugural Australian Bowls Classic for bowlers with an intellectual disability.
Current status
Heuser (2023) wrote on the importance of bowling clubs as social institutions. She reported that Sydney has lost nearly half the number of clubs from 1980, many of them in the past decade. [5] In this decade there has been a considerable shift away from Men-only and Women-only pennant competitions to those of Open Gender.
Bowls WA notes that all Australian State Legislated Equal Opportunities Acts are aligned to the fact that Bowls cannot discriminate between males and females, because strength, stamina and physique are not "relevant" to the sport of bowling, as described in Victorian and South Australian court cases described in its discussion paper.
The organisation reports that its plan for Men's Saturday Pennant to become fully Open Gender in 2024–2025, brings Bowls WA in line with every other State and Territories Pennant Competitions as well as the WA Equal Opportunities Act 1984, by ensuring the designated Primary Saturday Pennant Competition is Fully Open Gender. States have been able, if they choose to, to run Single Gender Midweek Competitions with Restrictions. While these States still call the competitions Open Gender, restrictions are in place for the opposite gender players to be eligible [6].
| Club | State | Formerly |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen. Bowling Club | NSW | |
| Aberfeldie Bowling Club | VIC | Clifton Park Bowls Club |
| Example | Example | Example |