Our History
The Roma Picnic Race Club has a rich and colourful history that stretches right back to 1901.
It is believed that the Roma Picnic Races started after a dispute broke out in a local shearing shed on the property of “Bellevue”. To settle the dispute a horse race was organised near Camp Creek.
To this day the outcome of the challenge is unknown however the race was the birth of what we now know to be the Roma Picnic Races.
The first race meet was for grass fed horses only and so the Picnics tradition was born. The racing of locally owned horses, raised in the paddock, was well supported by the district and continued for almost nine decades until Racing Queensland standardised all clubs and the grass fed tradition was no more.
Today, the Roma Picnics is a two day event held in Autumn featuring a black tie ball the evening before the race day and a five race program.
The Facts
- Originally the Picnics were named the “Campanui Picnic Races”
- The club was officially founded in February 1901
- The first race took place on 7 June 1901 and 70 horses competed in the event
- The Picnics were held at Camp Creek and then Hargreaves Paddock on Bungil Creek before being disbanded in the 30s
- The Picnics were reinvented after World War II and held at the grounds at Mitchell Road until moving in 1969 to the current location at Bassett Park
In the Press
Image 1: Queensland Country Life, June 30, 1938
Image 2: The Brisbane Courier. April 18, 1929. Image courtesy Trove
Image 3: The Brisbane Courier. Friday April 20, 1923. Image courtesy Trove
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