Merthyr Bowls Club traces its origins to the 1940s, when it operated as the Limbless Soldiers’ Bowling Club. It was founded next to the Limbless Soldiers’ Club as a place along the Brisbane River for returned servicemen and women to socialise and unwind. Regular play began in December 1948, and the venue was formally opened the following year by the Returned Limbless Sailors and Soldiers Association (RLSSA) for the benefit of disabled veterans.

The club quickly established itself with a 30‑year lease from the Brisbane City Council over a former U.S. Navy site and built a green and green‑keeper’s shed adjacent to the old officers’ mess, which later became the Riverside Ballroom. In the early 1950s it moved its clubhouse - assembled from ex‑army huts - from Camp Columbia at Wacol.

Over time, the club broadened its scope beyond serving limbless veterans and eventually adopted the name Merthyr Bowls Club. In 1978 the RLSSA transferred its lease to the Returned Services League (RSL). The RSL still holds the land lease and sub‑leases the facilities, allowing the club to evolve into the popular barefoot bowls and dining destination it is today.