Manuka Oval
South Canberra (Griffith), Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Manuka Oval, South Canberra (Griffith), Australia — opened 13 April 1930 (first cricket match); formal enclosure completed 1929, 12 rugby league games hosted, home of Not a rugby league club's home ground -- used for touring-international representative fixtures (1946-1963) and, once, an NRL premiership fixture forced there by scheduling conflicts (2001).
Sourcing caveat: Wikipedia states the venue's first rugby league match was in 1948, but a direct check of this site's own results records an earlier 15 May 1946 fixture; this site's own, more granular records are treated as authoritative and the Wikipedia claim is not used.
Ground facts
| Opened | 13 April 1930 (first cricket match); formal enclosure completed 1929 (Originally known as Manuka Circle Park before becoming Manuka Oval by the late 1920s; primarily and still Canberra's premier cricket and Australian Football venue.) |
| Home club | Not a rugby league club's home ground -- used for touring-international representative fixtures (1946-1963) and, once, an NRL premiership fixture forced there by scheduling conflicts (2001) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 12 |
| Top recorded crowd | 7,112 |
| Capacity | 15,000 overall (13,550 seated); cricket configuration capacity around 12,000 |
| Test matches hosted | 8 |
| Floodlights installed | Installed late 2012, first used 29 Jan 2013; the light towers lean inward, a distinctive design feature required by height restrictions preventing any structure exceeding the height of nearby (Old) Parliament House |
| Surface | A 'Legend' cricket square with a Santa Ana grass outfield |
| First rugby league match | 15 May 1946, Canberra Firsts 7-40 Queensland Firsts (Queensland tour), attendance 1,300 |
| Years used | 1946–2001 |
| Location | South Canberra (Griffith), Australian Capital Territory |
Name history
- Manuka Circle Park — early name
- Manuka Oval — by the late 1920s-present
Rugby league history
Canberra's premier cricket and Australian Football ground, which hosted touring rugby league internationals against representative Monaro/Southern NSW sides from 1946 to 1963, and just once more, out of scheduling necessity, an NRL premiership fixture in 2001 (Canberra 10-22 New Zealand Warriors, attendance 7,112, the venue's largest recorded rugby league crowd).
Primarily a cricket ground (hosting Test and ODI cricket since 2013) and Australian Football League venue (GWS Giants' home since 2012); has hosted various football and rugby union tenants over the decades.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 29 Jun 1946 — NSW Group 8 12-45 England (Lions tour), attendance 5,000
- 24 May 1950 — Monaro 10-37 Great Britain (Lions tour), attendance 4,600
- 23 May 1951 — Monaro 12-37 France (Les Chanticleers tour), attendance 5,000
- 27 May 1953 — Monaro/S. Division 25-34 USA (American All Stars tour), attendance 4,827
- 21 Aug 1954 — Southern NSW 21-66 Great Britain (Lions tour), attendance 3,253 (largest score margin recorded here)
- 25 May 1955 — Monaro 11-3 France (Les Chanticleers tour), attendance 4,000
- 18 May 1960 — Monaro 17-25 France (Les Chanticleers tour), attendance 3,000
- 10 Jul 1963 — Monaro 2-41 South Africa (South African tour), attendance 3,500
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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