It's a miracle, it's finished

Well not really but some might think so.

"What on earth is he talking about?"

I know I've promised it for some time now but the final manuscript for Volume 2 of my series on lost racecourses of Victoria went to the printer last week. It's done, and I think it's come up very well. (Yes that's the proof version below.)

In this volume I've covered off on the Loddon Campaspe and Mallee regions. It's bigger, at 480 pages, and I think better than Volume 1. There's more courses, maps, plans and photographs.

The two regions are very different in their racing history.

The Loddon Campaspe was quite similar to the regions in Volume I. As its settlement was older, it had a longer tradition in racing. The Mallee however is very different. As soldier settlement post-First World War drove a lot of the Mallee, it did so for racing there as well. A lot of the racing started around the same time and was very short-lived. In many locations we see the commencement of racing in the early 1900s and then curtailment happening in that region around a similar time, late 1920s to mid 1930s.

The trip from Pinnaroo in South Australia to Ouyen, Victoria on the Mallee Highway is fascinating. The distance from the state border to Ouyen is 130 kilometres. Over that distance there are ten racing locations on or very close to the highway. If you add the three more that are located in the vicinity of the highway, that’s thirteen locations, or on average, one every ten kilometres. A racecourse hunting bonanza!

What’s a bit sad about the journey is that not only are the racecourses are all gone, but in a lot of cases so are the towns. In many cases you see the town approaching, marked by the very prominent wheat silos that remain along the train line. A few of the racing locations became the local golf course, a common theme across the state, but even the golf courses are gone, or in the process of going.

For the eagle-eyed that's Newstead racecourse on the cover of this volume. It's there, quite simply, as it remains my favourite lost racecourse in Victoria to date. As a sneak peek for you, here's the entry for Newstead.

Newstead (L16)

Location: Newstead Racecourse and Recreation Reserve

Clubs: Newstead Jockey Club; Newstead-Maryborough Turf Club

1860 – 1968

While planning was reported in March 1860 for an earlier date, the first Newstead races were advertised for 14 June 1860. The races were to be held on the new racecourse and were to start at twelve o’clock. There were five races that first day; a maiden plate, Newstead town plate, farmers’ purse, handicap trot, and a consolation stakes.[i]

The annual race meeting at Newstead quickly became a success. On 31 October 1864, and at just over forty-five acres, the Newstead racecourse was temporarily gazetted for racing and other purposes of recreation. Shortly following this, the 1864 races took place in November and were very well attended. The course unsurprisingly, rivalled many of others in the colony but had one fault, a very tight turn coming into the main straight. Following this meeting, the racecourse reserve was extended by a further thirty-one acres.[ii]

In February 1873, there were said to be 600 to 700 in attendance including local politicians and ladies and gentlemen from across the district. The Maryborough and Castlemaine railway had taken part of the eastern portion of the course and the committee had moved the finishing straight and grandstand sixty to seventy feet west.[iii]

The 1888 Newstead Jockey Club races were successfully held in April. Since the 1887 races there had also been £125 in improvements made to the course. The hill had been fenced off and an inside rail had been erected on the finishing straight. On 20 July 1888, the Newstead site for a racecourse and other purposes of public recreation was permanently gazetted. It was now just under seventy-four acres in size.[iv]

In March 1907, as required by the Lotteries Gaming and Betting Act of 1906, the Trustees of the Newstead Racecourse and Recreation Reserve duly applied for and received a Racecourse licence. The following year, in 1908, it was reported that the Newstead Jockey Club had made great improvements to the course including the erection of a new secretary’s office and weighing-in enclosure. It was also reported that they would be planting ornamental trees as these were badly needed by spectators during the heat.[v]

Unlike most other locations, horse racing continued at Newstead throughout the duration of the Great War. In 1927, the course was described as being fenced for five furlongs and the remainder with bamboo poles. The buildings were said to be in good condition and “every convenience” was provided for the public on the course.[vi]

The final meeting at Newstead took place on New Year’s Day 1968 when the Newstead-Maryborough Turf Club raced. At the time there was no indication that these would be the last races. So, it came as something of a shock when, as part of a number of de-licensing actions in March 1969 the Newstead club, which had a few years earlier combined with nearby Maryborough was formally de-licensed. It is interesting to note that, unlike many other similar closures at the time, Newstead was not encouraged to join with a larger club.[vii]

Racing took place continuously at Newstead for over 100 years prior to its demise in 1969. Very few other locations had such a long history of racing. The Newstead Racecourse and Recreation Reserve still exists. The former course is on the Daylesford-Newstead Road, off Racecourse Road. While the reserve itself is now used for a range of recreative purposes including camping, the remains of the former course are still at the site. This includes most of the inside running rail that is in bad repair, the track itself, a stewards’ tower, the judges’ finishing stand, and several buildings that would have once been used for jockeys, stewards, and refreshments.

[i] "MINING LEASES." Mount Alexander Mail (Vic.: 1854 - 1917) 28 March 1860: 2. Web. 19 Apr 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199605825>. "Advertising" Mount Alexander Mail (Vic.: 1854 - 1917) 11 June 1860: 4. Web. 19 Apr 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199606793>. "NEWSTEAD ANNUAL RACES." Mount Alexander Mail (Vic.: 1854 - 1917) 15 June 1860: 4. Web. 19 Apr 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199603393>. [ii] VGG 1864, p.2498. "NEWSTEAD ANNUAL RACE MEETING." Mount Alexander Mail (Vic.: 1854 - 1917) 24 November 1864: 3. Web. 19 Apr 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197544768>. VGG 1864, p.2743. [iii] "NEWSTEAD RACES." Mount Alexander Mail (Vic.: 1854 - 1917) 20 February 1873: 2. Web. 19 Apr 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197101483>. VGG 1873, p.681. [iv] VGG 1888, p.2023. [v] Application for Permit: B2119 1907. PROV. "NEWSTEAD." Mount Alexander Mail (Vic.: 1854 - 1917) 21 January 1908: 2. Web. 19 Apr 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199803652>. [vi] Application for Permit: S1634 1927. PROV. [vii] “Ballan, Newstead race tracks de-licensed.” The Courier. 1 March 1969. Print. “Newstead Race Meeting Results”, Newstead Echo, 4 Jan 1968, Print. “Shock at Race Closure” Newstead News, 5 March 1968, Print.

I expect the final versions to arrive here any day, so if you're interested in a copy please drop me a note at chris_ganly@hotmail.com.

And work is well under way on Volume 3. I've already seen some great things in the Great South Coast and Wimmera Southern Mallee regions.

Have fun out there!

Chris