Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre
Encyclopedia
The Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) is a multi building and arena complex that was designed for equine usage. It has two indoor arena
s, stabling, plus an education and training building, which is located on the New England Highway
approximately five kilometres south of the Tamworth
Central Business District in the suburb of Hillvue
.
The centre, designed by architects Timothy Court and Company and built by National Buildplan presents a landmark for New England Highway traffic. This complex is a multi-level, multipurpose livestock
centre with a total seating capacity
of 4,020 and is the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere
. AELEC can be used in its entirety or parts thereof depending on the participants’ requirements.
Tamworth is recognised as the "National Equine Capital of Australia" because of the high volume of equine events held in the city, the presence of several equine organisation offices and a large number of nearby breeding and training establishments.
business plan in May 2007 that provided for the centre’s construction. TRC contributed A$20 million with council cash, loans and reserves. The Australian Federal Government contributed $6.6 million and State government made grants of $3.65 million. Belmore Engineering of Tamworth won the tender worth about $350,000 for the cattle yard roofing and the campdrafting
judge's tower.
Work commenced on the 22 ha site in June 2007 by the National Buildplan Group of Armidale
who won the tender to build it. This centre is the biggest ever construction undertaken by Tamworth Regional Council on behalf of its city and community and is a spectacular landmark there.
The main arena, domed sale ring and six stable buildings incorporate unique, post-tensioned steel truss technology designed by the project's Sydney based structural engineer S2 Corporation, is believed to be a first for equine centres around the world.
The complex was opened to the public on Sunday 21 September 2008 as part of a community open day from 12 noon to 5 pm. About 8,000 to 9,000 people from across the state visited the centre.
Additional seating is planned for up to 1,500 more on the mezzanine level in Stage II. Stabling will be increased to 700 stalls in stage II. The stadium will be extended to include a restaurant and an exhibition hall for a heritage hall of fame. This will be the future site for the annual Tamworth Pastoral & Agricultural Show.
On 23 October 2008 the NSW Chapter of the Australian Property Institute voted the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre as the leading local government project in New South Wales
(NSW) in this year.
The 2010 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Finals were held over two nights at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre, with five top-ranked professional bull riders from the United States and 25 of Australia’s best bull riders contesting the event.
, before a sell-out crowd of almost 3,500 people. Professor Bashir commented that the complex takes your breath away and Tony Windsor
, Independent MP for New England, stated that AELEC could be compared to the Sydney Opera House
. The audience was entertained by top performances of skill during the opening night. The Gomeroi Dance Troup performed along with Mark Atkins playing his didgeridoo
. Followed on by Colin Friels reciting "The Man From Snowy River", while a mob of 20 horses and stockmen galloped around the arena with their stockwhip
s cracking. Other performances included a display by pony club members of the 30 Zone area. The charge of Beersheba was re-created by 52 members of Light Horse troops from NSW and Queensland
. A troop of 12 horsemen appeared as the Electric Horsemen to give an unusual light display. Heath and Rozzie Ryan gave dressage
displays with their stallions and a liberty horse. Six of Australia's best horse riding stunts
riders performed amazing death defying feats, including a blindfolded girl performing during a circuit of the arena, without a lunge rein. Dan James then showed the audience, in his acts, why he is the 2008 Australian Horseman of the Year.
Over 1,000 workers were employed on the project with up to 100 working on the site on some days.
The Tamworth Regional Council has spent more than $1.2 million in extending recycled water for use in the Longyard precinct and harvesting runoff water from the complex buildings.
held in the AELEC was run by the ABCRA.
Other uses for the centre include:
The bovine and equine industries have strongly supported use of the AELEC complex with bookings for 250 days of the first year of its operation. Alpaca and goat events have also been held, or are scheduled to take place here.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
s, stabling, plus an education and training building, which is located on the New England Highway
New England Highway
The New England Highway is a highway in Australia running from Hexham near Newcastle at its southern end to Yarraman near Toowoomba at its northern end. At its southern end it connects to the Pacific Highway and at its northern end it connects to the D'Aguilar Highway. It traverses the Hunter...
approximately five kilometres south of the Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
Central Business District in the suburb of Hillvue
Hillvue, New South Wales
Hillvue is a suburb of Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia. It is a largely residential suburb of Tamworth and is south of South Tamworth. It has the second highest population estimate of any area of Tamworth, with estimates in 2001 of just over five thousand people.The longyard shopping area, the...
.
The centre, designed by architects Timothy Court and Company and built by National Buildplan presents a landmark for New England Highway traffic. This complex is a multi-level, multipurpose livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
centre with a total seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 4,020 and is the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
. AELEC can be used in its entirety or parts thereof depending on the participants’ requirements.
Tamworth is recognised as the "National Equine Capital of Australia" because of the high volume of equine events held in the city, the presence of several equine organisation offices and a large number of nearby breeding and training establishments.
History
The New South Wales Government approved the Tamworth Regional CouncilTamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Regional Council is a Local Government Area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and the Main North railway line.- Incomes :According to the during 2003-04, there:...
business plan in May 2007 that provided for the centre’s construction. TRC contributed A$20 million with council cash, loans and reserves. The Australian Federal Government contributed $6.6 million and State government made grants of $3.65 million. Belmore Engineering of Tamworth won the tender worth about $350,000 for the cattle yard roofing and the campdrafting
Campdrafting
Campdrafting is a unique and very popular Australian sport involving a horse and rider working cattle. The riding style is like that of Western riding and the event is somewhat related to the American events such as cutting, working cow horse, team penning, and ranch sorting.In the competition, a...
judge's tower.
Work commenced on the 22 ha site in June 2007 by the National Buildplan Group of Armidale
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
who won the tender to build it. This centre is the biggest ever construction undertaken by Tamworth Regional Council on behalf of its city and community and is a spectacular landmark there.
The main arena, domed sale ring and six stable buildings incorporate unique, post-tensioned steel truss technology designed by the project's Sydney based structural engineer S2 Corporation, is believed to be a first for equine centres around the world.
The complex was opened to the public on Sunday 21 September 2008 as part of a community open day from 12 noon to 5 pm. About 8,000 to 9,000 people from across the state visited the centre.
Additional seating is planned for up to 1,500 more on the mezzanine level in Stage II. Stabling will be increased to 700 stalls in stage II. The stadium will be extended to include a restaurant and an exhibition hall for a heritage hall of fame. This will be the future site for the annual Tamworth Pastoral & Agricultural Show.
On 23 October 2008 the NSW Chapter of the Australian Property Institute voted the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre as the leading local government project in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(NSW) in this year.
The 2010 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Finals were held over two nights at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre, with five top-ranked professional bull riders from the United States and 25 of Australia’s best bull riders contesting the event.
Official opening
On 21 February 2009 the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre was officially opened by the NSW Governor, Marie BashirMarie Bashir
Marie Roslyn Bashir AC, CVO is the present Governor of New South Wales since 2001 and also the Chancellor of the University of Sydney since 2007. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular...
, before a sell-out crowd of almost 3,500 people. Professor Bashir commented that the complex takes your breath away and Tony Windsor
Tony Windsor
Antony Harold Curties "Tony" Windsor , an Australian politician, is an independent member of the House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of New England, New South Wales...
, Independent MP for New England, stated that AELEC could be compared to the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. The audience was entertained by top performances of skill during the opening night. The Gomeroi Dance Troup performed along with Mark Atkins playing his didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
. Followed on by Colin Friels reciting "The Man From Snowy River", while a mob of 20 horses and stockmen galloped around the arena with their stockwhip
Stockwhip
A stockwhip is a type of whip made of a long, tapered length of flexible, plaited leather with a stiff handle that is used when mustering cattle.- Origin and uses of the stockwhip :...
s cracking. Other performances included a display by pony club members of the 30 Zone area. The charge of Beersheba was re-created by 52 members of Light Horse troops from NSW and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. A troop of 12 horsemen appeared as the Electric Horsemen to give an unusual light display. Heath and Rozzie Ryan gave dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
displays with their stallions and a liberty horse. Six of Australia's best horse riding stunts
Horse riding stunts
Trick riding is a form of horse riding stunts, such as the rider standing upright on a galloping horse. Other stunts might include hanging upside down off of the side of the horse while attached to a strap or jumping on and off a galloping horse....
riders performed amazing death defying feats, including a blindfolded girl performing during a circuit of the arena, without a lunge rein. Dan James then showed the audience, in his acts, why he is the 2008 Australian Horseman of the Year.
General information
The site occupies 22 ha, but an additional 20 ha has been acquired to provide extra parking, yards and new developments. Over 300 trees have been planted and even more shrubs have been installed. The perimeter of the complex is in the shape of a horseshoe.Over 1,000 workers were employed on the project with up to 100 working on the site on some days.
Some of the facilities include
- 478 stables in six blocks with wash bays - box stalls approximately 3.6 metres by 3.6 metres in size. The two stable blocks located near the sale centre can be converted into cattle pavilions for stud or led cattle.
- Sale centre with theatre-style seating for 660, standing room for 400. This can double as a covered warm up area.
- Indoor Arena – 40 metres x 80 mmetres with rough riding chutes with seating for 3,360 with corporate sections
- An educational and training building has a lecture theatre with seating for 44 and an area where animals can be brought into the classroom. This block also has a veterinary room, utilities room, meeting room and ablution facilities.
- The 95m x 110m sand campdraft arena and cutout yard was designed by the ABCRA.
- Two 30m by 70m outdoor competition or warm up arenas.
- Disabled access and parking at both levels and a lift from lower ground level to concourse and VIP area.
- Trade and exhibition concourse area of 50 sites.
- VIP bar and catering on second level overlooking arena and sale centre.
- Viewing screens, sound and lighting systems.
- Air-conditioned event management offices and meeting rooms
- Show jumpingShow jumpingShow jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
and dressageDressageDressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
areas - Undercover cattle handling and holding facilities
- Toilet and showers facilities in stable complex with laundry facilities
- Truck bay and 195 powered camping facilities adjacent to stables
The Tamworth Regional Council has spent more than $1.2 million in extending recycled water for use in the Longyard precinct and harvesting runoff water from the complex buildings.
Centre uses
The biggest event scheduled in 2008 was the nine day 35th National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) ANZ Futurity which featured over $500,000 in the prize pool. The first rodeoAustralian rodeo
Rodeos have long been a popular competitor and spectator sport in Australia, but were not run on an organized basis until the 1880s.-History:Newspaper reports recorded public roughriding events that took place in Victoria during the 1880s...
held in the AELEC was run by the ABCRA.
Other uses for the centre include:
- Australian Stock HorseAustralian Stock HorseThe Australian Stock Horse , has been especially bred for Australian conditions. It is a hardy breed of horse noted for endurance, agility and a good temperament. Its ancestry dates to the arrival of the first horses in Australia, brought from Europe, Africa and Asia...
, Quarter HorseAmerican Quarter HorseThe American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
and other horse breed sales and shows - CampdraftingCampdraftingCampdrafting is a unique and very popular Australian sport involving a horse and rider working cattle. The riding style is like that of Western riding and the event is somewhat related to the American events such as cutting, working cow horse, team penning, and ranch sorting.In the competition, a...
and team penningTeam penningTeam penning is a western equestrian sport that evolved from the common ranch work of separating cattle into pens for branding, doctoring, or transport....
. - Dog agilityDog agilityDog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...
trials - Stud livestockLivestockLivestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
shows, sales and seminars - Educational exhibitions
- Pony clubPony Club Association of New South WalesThe Pony Club Association of New South Wales is the controlling body for Pony Clubs in New South Wales where young people can ride and learn all disciplines of equestrian sports...
events - Rodeos
- Rural or industry field dayField dayField days in Australia usually take place as part of an agricultural show, though field days focus on agricultural industry and equipment rather than livestock....
s
The bovine and equine industries have strongly supported use of the AELEC complex with bookings for 250 days of the first year of its operation. Alpaca and goat events have also been held, or are scheduled to take place here.