5 of Melbourne's lost racetracks

Victoria has more racetracks than any other state or territory, but there are plenty of Melbourne circuits that have succumbed to suburban sprawl. Here are five…

1. Fishermen's Bend

Fishermen's Bend Aerodrome was established during the 1930s at Port Melbourne. Built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, it was opened to the public after World War II and played host to various car and motorcycle racing events for the 12 years between 1948 and 1959. While not officially a purpose-built racetrack, the aerodrome's perimeter roads formed most of the racing circuit while the airstrip was used as the fast front straight. While circuit racing at the venue stopped at the end of the 1950s, the airstrip continued to be used for drag racing, but the aerodrome was eventually demolished to make way for Melbourne's Westgate Bridge.

2. Victoria Park

While the Ballarat Airport hosted Formula 1 grands prix, a tree-lined circuit in Ballarat's Victoria Park was the scene of motorsport racing for two decades between 1946 and 1967. While now located in central Ballarat, the 130-hectare Victoria Park was once situated on Ballarat's outer fringes – it was perfect in terms of location and size to play host to motorcycle racing on one of its two eventual circuits as well as a popular off-road car rally. From 1946, the venue used a 3.6km-long figure-of-eight track to host events until 1950, when it was changed to utilise different roads within the park to create a 3.54km-long circuit.

3. Altona Road Circuit

While a certain new track was under development at Phillip Island, a lack of road racing circuits in the 1950s led to the quick and rather crude construction of a circuit in the Melbourne suburb of Altona. Between February 1954 and May 1955, six motorcycle races were held at the Altona Road circuit, with most of them promoted by the Harley Club of Victoria which still operates today. Following the death of a rider, safety concerns eventually led to the demise of the short-lived track, as did erosion issues. Unsurprisingly, the track's location is now a flood basin for the Altona area and a large recreational space.

4. Templestowe Hillclimb

Between 1951 and 1987, the Templestowe Hill Climb played host to 99 hillclimb meetings and while none of them were officially motorcycle-only events, this particular circuit gets a mention for a few good reasons. Firstly, it's still there! While the venue now falls under the guise of walking track, it was once the steepest single piece of paved road in Australia with a gradient in excess of 40 per cent. Like the state's Rob Roy hillclimb, which has enjoyed a resurgence in recent times, the aptly nicknamed 'The Wall' lies on the fringes of Melbourne's suburbs and at the height of its popularity measured 969m in length. Just before its 1987 closure, its surface had degraded considerably. "One good run up that hill was the equivalent wear on suspension to 5000 road miles," states the article reporting the track's demise.

5. Aspendale Park Racecourse

Aspendale Park Racecourse was a horse racing facility which opened in 1891 and, like many horse racing tracks of the era, it also played host to various motor racing events. Often cited as the country's first-ever commercial circuit, a motorsport-specific circuit was built in 1906 and by the 1920s was attracting 5000 spectators per race. Later that decade, Aspendale Racing leased the motor racing facility to Aspendale Speedway. That bode well for the dirt racing venue, but it did so only on the proviso that all motor racing events were a no-go gambling zone. Greed got in the way, however, and the bookmakers were allowed in – which lead to the whole horsey shebang being over by the early 1930s. The odd motorcycle and car race was still held at Aspendale over the next decade but the racecourse's eventual demise coincided with the breakout of World War II.

5 of Melbourne's lost racetracks

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