Salter Oval
Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
Salter Oval, Bundaberg, Australia — opened circa 1945 (as Salter Oval; the site was previously known as West End Recreation Reserve before that), 35 rugby league games hosted, home of Not a permanent rugby league home ground historically; became an NRL 'second home'/regional fixture venue for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, hosting Bulldogs premiership-points home matches in 2022-2024.
Sourcing caveat: Floodlights not confirmed in any source checked. First rugby-league-specific match at the venue is not definitively dated beyond the 2016 NRL trial.
Ground facts
| Opened | circa 1945 (as Salter Oval; the site was previously known as West End Recreation Reserve before that) (Exact month/day not confirmed. Primarily a regional cricket venue historically, not a rugby league home ground.) |
| Home club | Not a permanent rugby league home ground historically; became an NRL 'second home'/regional fixture venue for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, hosting Bulldogs premiership-points home matches in 2022-2024 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 35 |
| Top recorded crowd | 8,521 |
| Capacity | 8,500 total, approx. 600 seated |
| Test matches hosted | 3 |
| Years used | 1956–2024 |
| Location | Bundaberg, Queensland |
Name history
- West End Recreation Reserve — pre-1945
- Salter Oval — from circa 1945, no sponsorship rename found
Rugby league history
Primarily a regional cricket ground (Queensland used it for interstate/first-class matches 1981-1995, including Qld Country Women v England Women in 1948, the first recorded match there) that has more recently been used by the NRL (Bulldogs) as an occasional 'home away from home' fixture venue in regional Queensland, part of the NRL's regional-expansion fixture strategy. An NRL trial, Broncos v Cowboys, was played here in Feb 2016 (attendance 8,122).
Primarily a regional cricket venue historically.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 7 Aug 2022 — Bulldogs 14-28 Cowboys, Bundaberg's first-ever NRL premiership-points match (attendance 8,521)
- 30 Jul 2023 — Bulldogs 23-22 Dolphins (attendance 5,130)
- 17 Aug 2024 — Bulldogs 30-10 Dolphins (attendance 6,146)
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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