Cazalys Oval
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Cazalys Oval, Cairns, Australia — opened 1957, 7 rugby league games hosted, home of no permanent rugby league tenant — North Queensland Cowboys (NRL) played two home fixtures here in 2001 only, away from their main Townsville base; the ground's true permanent tenant is Australian Football (AFL Cairns).
Sourcing caveat: No Foley Shield final was found hosted at this ground — that competition's historical Cairns venue is the separate Barlow Park. None of the five touring-side matches here were full Australia national-team Tests; all were against a composite Far North Queensland representative side.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1957 (Opened originally as "Australian Football Park"; only the year, not an exact date, was found.) |
| Home club | no permanent rugby league tenant — North Queensland Cowboys (NRL) played two home fixtures here in 2001 only, away from their main Townsville base; the ground's true permanent tenant is Australian Football (AFL Cairns) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 7 |
| Top recorded crowd | 13,500 |
| Capacity | 13,500 |
| Test matches hosted | 5 |
| Floodlights installed | four light towers installed 1997-1998, upgraded to AFL broadcast standard in 2008 (single-sourced) |
| Surface | natural grass, field dimensions 165m x 135m |
| First rugby league match | 28 June 1958 — Far North Queensland 8-78 Great Britain, Lions tour (attendance 4,851) |
| Years used | 1958–2001 |
| Location | Cairns, Queensland |
Name history
- Australian Football Park — 1957–1998
- Cazalys Stadium — since 1999, named after the adjacent Cazalys Sports Club
- Bundaberg Rum Stadium — a sponsorship name used 2001–2003, sitting within the wider Cazalys Stadium era rather than replacing it permanently — Rugby League Project labels the 2001 NRL matches here as "Cazalys Oval (also known as Bundaberg Rum Stadium)"
Rugby league history
Cazalys' rugby league identity is minor and largely historical: five international touring-side matches in the 1958-1967 "golden era" when regional Queensland was a regular Ashes/France/Kiwi touring-side stop, played by a composite Far North Queensland representative side rather than a full Australia national team, followed by a 43-year gap until the North Queensland Cowboys used the ground twice in 2001 (an 18-32 loss to Penrith drawing the venue's recorded top crowd of 13,500, and a win over the Northern Eagles) as an away-from-Townsville fixture. Its real sporting significance is as Cairns' primary Australian Football venue and, more recently, an international and Big Bash League cricket venue.
Cairns' primary Australian Football venue; also hosts Big Bash League and international cricket (Test matches 2003-04, ODIs from 2022) and AFLW.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 28 Jun 1958 — Far North Queensland 8-78 Great Britain (4,851)
- 25 Jun 1960 — Far North Queensland 15-26 France, Chanticleers tour (4,329)
- 23 Jun 1962 — Far North Queensland 31-33 Great Britain (4,769)
- 4 Jun 1966 — Far North Queensland 7-48 Great Britain (4,557)
- 23 Jun 1967 — Far North Queensland 3-45 New Zealand, Kiwis tour (2,312)
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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