Parramatta Park
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Parramatta Park, Cairns, Australia — opened Not confirmed, 12 rugby league games hosted, home of Not a single club; hosted Far North Queensland/North Queensland representative sides, later under the name Cairns Connection (from 1994).
Sourcing caveat: Capacity, floodlight status and an exact opening date could not be confirmed; when organised representative rugby league at this venue ended is not confirmed.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not confirmed (This is the Parramatta Park in Cairns, Queensland -- a separate venue from the much better-known Parramatta Park in Sydney, New South Wales, named after it when the Cairns suburb was subdivided and promoted using Sydney suburb names around 1886. The Cairns Show Society moved its annual show here in the early 1900s, and local rugby league use is described as beginning in 1918.) |
| Home club | Not a single club; hosted Far North Queensland/North Queensland representative sides, later under the name Cairns Connection (from 1994) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 12 |
| Top recorded crowd | 7,588 |
| Test matches hosted | 6 |
| Surface | Grass (presumed) |
| First rugby league match | 28 Jun 1932, Far North Queensland 8-53 England (Lions tour) |
| Years used | 1932–1994 |
| Location | Cairns, Queensland |
Name history
- Parramatta Park (showgrounds) — used throughout
Rugby league history
North Queensland's key showground venue for hosting international touring rugby league sides against local representative teams across six decades (1932-1994), also used for occasional Brisbane Rugby League/State League fixtures in the 1980s. Cairns' rugby league scene later shifted to venues such as Barlow Park and Cazalys Stadium.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 24 Jun 1953 — Far North Queensland 17-17 USA (American All Stars tour)
- 24 Jun 1954 — Far North Queensland 18-39 Great Britain (Lions tour)
- 25 Jun 1955 — Far North Queensland 21-66 France (Les Chanticleers tour), France's 14 tries the largest score recorded here
- 30 May 1974 — North Queensland 5-30 Great Britain (Lions tour), attendance 7,588 (the venue's largest recorded crowd)
- 27 May 1988 — North Queensland 16-66 Great Britain (Lions tour)
- 2 Jul 1994 — Cairns Connection 19-12 France (Les Chanticleers tour), attendance 4,000
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.
← Rugby League · Champions list · All-time records · Grand Final results · World Cup · All competitions · Teams · Players