In 1872, the Gregory Street oval was officially granted to Bowen State School — though its early use was quite different from today. Before it became a sports field, this area was fenced off and used as a horse paddock, complete with a concrete water trough to keep the animals hydrated during the school day.
At that time, it was not uncommon for students to ride their horses to school, particularly those living on surrounding rural properties. Before the understorey of F Block was enclosed for use as a manual training space, students stored their saddles under the building, using the space to keep their gear dry and out of the weather.
Former teacher Tom “Chummy” Ayles, who also attended Bowen State School for his Scholarship Exams in 1924, fondly recalled:
“On some days I rode the horse the five miles to school from where I lived at the Delta, but on others, I rode a heavy, old-fashioned bicycle. If the Don River was running, I had to wheel the bike across the old wooden railway bridge as there was no road bridge.”
The paddock was also used by students from St Mary’s Catholic School, who shared the space to contain their horses during the day — a gesture that reflected the cooperative spirit of Bowen’s small but vibrant educational community.
Though horses no longer line the fences of Gregory Street, this stop serves as a reminder of a time when hoofbeats and saddlebags were part of the daily school routine.