Salk Oval
 Salk Oval in March 2026 | |
 Interactive map of Salk Oval | |
| Address | Sarawak Ave Palm Beach, Queensland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28°08′06″S 153°28′25″E / 28.13490°S 153.47350°E |
| Owner | Gold Coast City Council |
Record attendance | 4,000 (Surfers Paradise vs PBC, 4 September 1965) |
| Construction | |
| Groundbreaking | 1958 |
| Opened | 1961 |
| Tenants | |
| Palm Beach Currumbin Football Club Palm Beach Currumbin Cricket Club | |
Salk Oval is an Australian rules football and cricket venue in the Gold Coast suburb of Palm Beach. Since 2025, it has been known as Stalagmite Oval under naming rights with the Stalagmite Property Group.[1][2]
It is the home of the Palm Beach Currumbin Football Club in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL) and the Palm Beach Currumbin Cricket Club.
History
[edit]Salk Oval was opened when the Palm Beach Currumbin Football Club (originally known as Central) was formed in 1961 for the new Gold Coast Australian Football League (GCAFL).[3] Club president Bert Willis, who was from South Australia, insisted that the playing field located between Thrower Drive and the railway line had to be the size and shape for "proper football".[4]
For unknown reasons, the ground was named after American physician Jonas Salk, who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines.[4]
The first football match at Salk Oval was held on 9 July 1961, which saw Central defeat Southport by 25 points.[3][4] Several GCAFL grand finals were played at the ground until the 1980s, including the 1965 grand final, when a crowd of 4,000 people watched Palm Beach Currumbin defeat Surfers Paradise by 20 points.[5]
On 12 December 1978, a World Series Cricket (WSC) match was played at Salk Oval between the West Indies XI and the Cavaliers XI.[6][7]
In 2015, the ground hosted a North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) match for the first time, with Southport defeating Brisbane by eight points.[8][9]
Transport access
[edit]Salk Oval is planned to be served by the G:link light rail line as part of the line's Stage 4 extension, with the proposed Thrower Drive station located approximately fifteen minutes' walk away.[10][11] On 1 September 2025, the Crisafulli state government announced the cancellation of the Stage 4 extension.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ↑ Browne, Andrew (12 September 2025). "Which teams will make it to the grand final?". Play AFL. Archived from the original on 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "2026 QAFL fixture" (PDF). Play AFL. 19 January 2026. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- 1 2 "1961". Southport Sharks. Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Club History". Palm Beach Currumbin Junior Australian Football Club. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "1965". Southport Sharks. Archived from the original on 22 February 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "Council Meeting". City of Gold Coast. 26 October 1978. p. 5. Archived from the original on 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "WSC Caval. vs WSC WI, at Currumbin". ESPNcricinfo. 12 December 1978. Archived from the original on 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ Heaton, Bryce (4 April 2015). "NEAFL Lions v Suns match report". Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ Cheadle, Josh (11 April 2015). "NEAFL Lions go down in thriller". Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "First Look at Burleigh Light Rail Extension". Brisbane Development. 13 July 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 4 (Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta)" (PDF). Queensland Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ Bleijie, Jarrod (1 September 2025). "Crisafulli Government prioritises community following Gold Coast Light Rail review". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 15 April 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ Cansdale, Dominic; Colahan, Mackenzie (1 September 2025). "Queensland government dumps Gold Coast light rail stage four". ABC News. Archived from the original on 23 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.