were have our great race tracks gone?

[Fed]

I have a vague memory of racing on a dirt track & hill climb, I think it was Silverdale does anyone remember it?
PS: Don't forget Brickies!

[Dr Terry]

To add a few more. One of the largest venues in Sydney almost a century ago was the Maroubra Speedway. It opened in 1925 & was demolished in 1940.

There was also a raceway at Penrith in the early 1900s.

If we are to include street circuits, what about Homebush ?

My favourite tracks were Warwick Farm, Amaroo & Oran Park. Castlereagh for drags as well.

Dr Terry

[mondeomatureguy]

Hi Doctor Terry,
Where I once went to High School in Sydney across the road from my then School is South Head Cemetery.

On of the graves is a man called Reginald Gordon Garlick (phil Garlick) who was killed while racing at Maroubra Speedway in 1927.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by lra

I really hope that you made that comment in jest as much as I made my earlier comment .

i used to go to warwick farm when i was a kid as it was free entry, as for all the weirs the were demolished by the army in the late 70's due to people crossing the road without looking (fatal),, so they destroyed them..

[mick taylor]

Same happened down on the Gold Coast, the morons moved in and then started complaining about the noise.

[anobserver]

On the Gold Coast it was the cashed up nimbys that did it in. The developer merely facilitated those wishes. Drove past the site recently and got all nostalgic.

Of the many others i miss amaroo park the most. Legendary racing around a tight little circuit.

[73 4V XB]

Originally Posted by mick taylor

Same happened down on the Gold Coast, the morons moved in and then started complaining about the noise.

I work in the yellow circled shed, motor body builder business. The house in red was purchased 3 years ago. The knob has complained to council 3 times regarding the noise level and time of noise. North of Mc Phail road is industrial, south is semi industrial/rural living. I can’t say for sure but the businesses were there before the houses. Guess who’s selling there cheap house

[FTE217]

I was to young regards Warwick Farm but the ol man went a number of times due to his business connections.
Due to that I recall the countless times we went to the Speedway at the Sydney Showgrounds.
What a HOOT that was and in the heydays of solo's/sidecars/midgets/speedcars/super modified's.
Funny how back in those days the super modifieds as I grew up with became the Sprintcars and main feature here today.
Solo's were epic and No1 back then, Tests were massive, with the Danes/Poms/Swedes etc and oour neighboring kiwis ofcourse.
Some Legends I'll never forget :
Ole Olsen/Nigel Boocock/Collins/Sanders/Jim Airey/Boulger/ and Ivan Mauger/Briggs - the smell of methanol was to die for !
Sidecars - Treloars/Innes family
Super Modifieds - Tatnell/Gary Rush obviously.
Some of the best racing nights I've ever experienced and as we all know, those inner city grennies killed that carrying on in the inner city :(

[Charliewool]

We had Tracey’s speedway in MARIBYRNONG...
As a tacker, I used to sit on the old mans JAP while he pushed it over the tram bridge from our house in Ascot Vale over to Tracey’s to race in Saturday nights..



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[roKWiz]

I don't know how true it is but the Benalla Auto Club (who own Winton) had a race track east of Violet Town in the Strathbogie range.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I don't know how true it is but the Benalla Auto Club (who own Winton) had a race track east of Violet Town in the Strathbogie range.

Theres a mention of a track run Benalla Auto Club in the link i posted earlier, it was out Barjarg way at the foot of the Strathbogie Ranges as you say maybe this is the one, it was before Winton's day and didn't last long.....wonder why lol....

....about the Barjarg track....

https://www.racingcircuits.info/aust...l#.XYmJoigzbIU

The circuit was built by the Benalla Auto Club as a replacement for the earlier track at Barjarg, in the undulating hills at the base of the Strathbogie Ranges, between Benalla and Mansfeild.
This had operated from 1958 to 1961 and was rough-and-ready affair, with a giant boulder protruding from the oil-bonded dirt surface in the middle of the main straight. Despite numerous efforts, it proved too big to move, so remained as an additional hazard for racers to negotiate!

....a bit more

https://pressreader.com/@nickname133...roGQNHavV2ePiy

.....read about the original Benalla track also lol....

http://www.speedwayandroadracehistor...g-circuit.html

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

We had Tracey’s speedway in MARIBYRNONG...
As a tacker, I used to sit on the old mans JAP while he pushed it over the tram bridge from our house in Ascot Vale over to Tracey’s to race in Saturday nights..
image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yer speedway was so popular all round the country back in our day.
A real shame that its died barring Sprintcars more than anything else.
Loved the Solo's - I still watch SGP on Fox and the Sidecars were a massive highlight as well.

[ebv8]

i was lucky enough to race at the last supersprint at oran park
i also seem to have got into the last drift event at Wollongong Kart track
the only thing local to me now is Huntley Hill Climb but i think that only has a few years left maybe until the Greg Norman Links course get finished

so much to the residence disapproval the kids just go up the mountains and go nuts.

oh and years ago Albion Park airport used to hold 1/8 drag races

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

One great one nearby me at Winton. Vic.
I can hear the roar on weekends, trucks on the Hume at night and freight trains passing by.
I love it.
Hung around Amaroo Park in it's heyday, such a shame its gone.

Winton has had its battles over the years. I used to sit on the Benalla Auto Club's committee (BAC own Winton and Wakefield Park at Goulburn). There was a group of people from the district who were into BAC every chance they got, they were on about noise, preferential treatment on planning issues. Interestingly I shared an office with one of the main protagonists. James something, it was an interesting time and some interesting debates.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

Winton has had its battles over the years. I used to sit on the Benalla Auto Club's committee (BAC own Winton and Wakefield Park at Goulburn).

Probably most of the whinging came from Lake Mokoan Estate on the other side of the now Winton wetlands as this is where all the NIMBY's move to back then.
The sound tends to echo off the small range behind it (Chesney Vale)

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Probably most of the whinging came from Lake Mokoan Estate on the other side of the now Winton wetlands as this is where all the NIMBY's move to back then.
The sound tends to echo off the small range behind it (Chesney Vale)

nah, opposite direction, over nearer to Lurg

Originally Posted by DJR-351

Theres a mention of a track run Benalla Auto Club in the link i posted earlier, it was out Barjarg way at the foot of the Strathbogie Ranges as you say maybe this is the one, it was before Winton's day and didn't last long.....wonder why lol....

....about the Barjarg track....

https://www.racingcircuits.info/aust...l#.XYmJoigzbIU



....a bit more

https://pressreader.com/@nickname133...roGQNHavV2ePiy

.....read about the original Benalla track also lol....

http://www.speedwayandroadracehistor...g-circuit.html

The Barjarg track was owned by the Benalla Auto Club, they shut it down when they acquired the Winton site over 50 years ago

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

The Barjarg track was owned by the Benalla Auto Club, they shut it down when they acquired the Winton site over 50 years ago

Yep, thats what it says in the links...

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

nah, opposite direction, over nearer to Lurg

That was my second guess Mollyulla way.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by 73 4V XB

I work in the yellow circled shed, motor body builder business. The house in red was purchased 3 years ago. The knob has complained to council 3 times regarding the noise level and time of noise. North of Mc Phail road is industrial, south is semi industrial/rural living. I can’t say for sure but the businesses were there before the houses. Guess who’s selling there cheap house

image

A little off topic but working on the railway we are always hearing about people complaining about trains.
The reason your house is $50,000 cheaper than an equivalent house is because it's 20 metres from a rail line. Get over it or pay more money for a house in a better location.

I just remembered this guy who built his house next a a railway access gate. Trains would stop near this gate for crew relief. he didn't like trains stopping there because they are too loud.
Train control responded to his complaints by moving the relief point 3kms further down the track. So now you now pass his house at full speed then apply the brakes as your locomotive passes his house to stop further down the track. He now has to put up with a 1.5km long train's brakes squealing as it passes his house. If a second train comes along during crew relief of the first train which is highly likely, the second train stops at a red signal next to his house anyway. Hey, he got his own way though.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Ben73

A little off topic but working on the railway we are always hearing about people complaining about trains.
The reason your house is $50,000 cheaper than an equivalent house is because it's 20 metres from a rail line. Get over it or pay more money for a house in a better location.

I just remembered this guy who built his house next a a railway access gate. Trains would stop near this gate for crew relief. he didn't like trains stopping there because they are too loud.
Train control responded to his complaints by moving the relief point 3kms further down the track. So now you now pass his house at full speed then apply the brakes as your locomotive passes his house to stop further down the track. He now has to put up with a 1.5km long train's brakes squealing as it passes his house. If a second train comes along during crew relief of the first train which is highly likely, the second train stops at a red signal next to his house anyway. Hey, he got his own way though.

Yeh, if you don't like the noise of trains don't move there.
$ydney prices around rail hubs are going up for the convenience of living next to a stations.
Was looking at the price of apartments around Rhodes station, absolutely ridiculous.

I bought a place right beside the $yd-Melb mainline, in between two railway crossing gates and a station solely to future proof my transport options. Love it. Going to be interesting watching the double deck freight trains planned in the future.

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by Ben73

A little off topic but working on the railway we are always hearing about people complaining about trains.
The reason your house is $50,000 cheaper than an equivalent house is because it's 20 metres from a rail line. Get over it or pay more money for a house in a better location.

I just remembered this guy who built his house next a a railway access gate. Trains would stop near this gate for crew relief. he didn't like trains stopping there because they are too loud.
Train control responded to his complaints by moving the relief point 3kms further down the track. So now you now pass his house at full speed then apply the brakes as your locomotive passes his house to stop further down the track. He now has to put up with a 1.5km long train's brakes squealing as it passes his house. If a second train comes along during crew relief of the first train which is highly likely, the second train stops at a red signal next to his house anyway. Hey, he got his own way though.

I have a railway about 150m away, it's not a problem at all but that Police chopper is a real pain at times, not to mention what I have seen one chopper do once was just mental showing off like a lunatic that I thought that this was Vietnam, he was flat out swooping down to about 10m off roofs and came in and turned directly at angles like 60 deg time and time again back and forwards for about 20 min and everyone came out to see what was going on.
a mate that lived 50m from the track would ring and complain every time the chopper came over, he would go off his rocker about them as he hated it but I never heard him complain about the railway ever.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by mick taylor

I have a railway about 150m away, it's not a problem at all but that Police chopper is a real pain at times, not to mention what I have seen one chopper do once was just mental showing off like a lunatic that I thought that this was Vietnam, he was flat out swooping down to about 10m off roofs and came in and turned directly at angles like 60 deg time and time again back and forwards for about 20 min and everyone came out to see what was going on.

He might be an ex channel 7 pilot missing his old job at Mt Panorama.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by mick taylor

I have a railway about 150m away, it's not a problem at all but that Police chopper is a real pain at times, not to mention what I have seen one chopper do once was just mental showing off like a lunatic that I thought that this was Vietnam, he was flat out swooping down to about 10m off roofs and came in and turned directly at angles like 60 deg time and time again back and forwards for about 20 min and everyone came out to see what was going on.
a mate that lived 50m from the track would ring and complain every time the chopper came over, he would go off his rocker about them as he hated it but I never heard him complain about the railway ever.

I guess you get used to certain noises after a while and block them out.
I bought a house near the John Hunter hospital. For the first 6 months I would wake up once a week as a chopper flew over very low. After that 6 months I would wake up once every month or two.

You'd think living near a racetrack wouldn't be too bad since it almost always a daytime thing but you know these people are probably sitting there working themselves up getting angrier and angrier each minute.

[Rallye Sport]

I live near a racetrack (Barbagallo) and love it.
Nothing like spending a Saturday morning working on the cars in the garage, then stepping out for a cuppa and a listen every so often.

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

He might be an ex channel 7 pilot missing his old job at Mt Panorama.

I thought it was my cousin trying to show off to me, but he would never do such a thing I am sure, maybe some clown that knows me trying to show off. I would not mind or give a toss but not over houses like that.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by mondeomatureguy

Castlereagh International Dragway is another that was closed for yet another Housing Estate.

It’s I’ll be a very long time before Castlereagh becomes a housing estate

It closed because hoity toity horse people didn’t want “those drag racing types” enjoying themselves

They basically brought the land and sat on it, it’s basically just usd for over priced grass / fertiliser converters to wander on.


if you go google earth or nearmaps you can still see the track all be it grown over

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by Rob 351

Yeah Amaroo was brilliant! Sitting up on Bitupave Hill watching the Sierra’s still trying to put their power down..
Or the stop go before the “Main Straight” where if you had brake failure, you went straight into a concrete wall..
Just a creat little track with heaps of character and always suited a great handling smaller car..

Did this many times in this era

I lived a few km from the track and we used to ride our BMX bikes down the back of Blind road Nelson leave our bikes in the bush and climb under the fence, for a day of free motor racing, (great times)

We also used to walk around behind the pits and slide down the embankment behind the kids play area at the back of the pits and Bam we had “pit passes”

[roKWiz]

As a young P plater just beyond Amaroo Park was Halcrows Rd we used to test our rally skills at night. It was a great backroad down to Wisemans ferry.
Amaroo was a bad influence on many a boy racer, I remember the cops used to always hang around the local roads after every touring car event.

[Burnout]

Each year they have the Leyburn Sprints, the site of the first Aust Grand Prix in Qld, dont reckon they will build it out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_A...ian_Grand_Prix

"An airfield with a 7,000-foot runway was constructed by April 1943 for the use of the United States Army Air Force.[8] The airfield was eventually used by 21 Squadron, 23 Squadron and 99 Squadron.[8] and was eventually abandoned by the RAAF in December 1945.[8] The abandoned airfield became the site of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix, the first time the Australian Grand Prix was held in Queensland. At the 2006 census, Leyburn and the surrounding area had a population of 348".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyburn,_Queensland

[73 4V XB]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I don't know how true it is but the Benalla Auto Club (who own Winton) had a race track east of Violet Town in the Strathbogie range.

You would probably know, is Wilby still going? I grew up in Yarrawonga and use to go there with me brother. They had what was very loosely called a quarter mile track and a speedway circuit.