Australia Bush / Picnic Races - Page 2 - Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com

spang99 · 04-10-2020, 10:01 AM

Birdsville has just been officially added to my bucket list. Thanks for posting.

Scanman · 04-10-2020, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theiman

Scanman, thanks for the wonderful videos.

I have been to Australia twice and have only seen the Majors. Seeing the minors has been fun.

Yes, I agree. I love bush/grassroots racing!

Did you get to go racing? If so, which tracks?

Scanman · 04-10-2020, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waquoit

During our trip to New Zealand in 2017 we were able visit a modest track named Te Aroha, about a half-hour from Hamilton. They had cattle grazing in the infield while the races were going on. The early P4 there is called "The Big Quaddie".

Fantastic! I bet you really enjoyed your day there. Of the 12 that I had the chance to visit in 2018, Te Aroha was my favorite. The backdrop of the hills and palm trees as they round the final turn and turn for home is an awesome sight!!! I'm sure you would agree. The cattle must have been turned out in a different pasture the day I visited, but that would explain the numerous "cow patties" that I had to dodge when I walked from the grandstand down to the home turn to get some pictures. I hope you have the chance to return to NZ, and maybe Oz, to enjoy many of the other racecourses.

Scanman · 04-10-2020, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spang99

Birdsville has just been officially added to my bucket list. Thanks for posting.

You and me both! I have a good friend (and a world-class photographer), Sharon Chapman who has been after me for years to make the trip with them. They go every year. Here is a link to some of her photos that were featured in Sports Illustrated: https://www.si.com/sports-illustrate...928_tk1_171jpg

She also suggests doing the Betoota double. They run on the Saturday preceeding Birdsville. Seems sensible, when you go that far out into the bush, you might as well "kill two birds with one stone".

theiman · 04-12-2020, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scanman

Yes, I agree. I love bush/grassroots racing!

Did you get to go racing? If so, which tracks?

Sorry, didnt log in yesterday.

In Sydney went to Randwick on one of their Spring Festival Days. Then during the week went to Canterbury.

In Melbourne, when I was there I went to Moonee Valley for a night card.

In Perth I went to Ascot, on Melbourne Cup day.

Also was to Ellerslie in Aukland NZ

Scanman · 04-14-2020, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theiman

Sorry, didnt log in yesterday.

In Sydney went to Randwick on one of their Spring Festival Days. Then during the week went to Canterbury.

In Melbourne, when I was there I went to Moonee Valley for a night card.

In Perth I went to Ascot, on Melbourne Cup day.

Also was to Ellerslie in Aukland NZ

Looks like you visited some good ones. I caught Randwick and Canterbury during their mid-week meetings. Really enjoyed both. Ascot is fantastic. Unfortunately, racing in WA is a little underrated.

Looking forward to visiting "The Valley", Flemington and Ellerslie in the future. Had the chance, but opted to go to a picnic meeting instead. Figured I could always get to those in the future.

Scanman · 04-14-2020, 01:35 PM

Unfortunately, there are no more videos of bush tracks in Western Australia. I'll finish with WA by posting some of the provincial tracks, which you will see are quite nice.

Geraldton -

It's located 4 1/2 hours north of Perth. It's a 1600 meter grass oblong, with a big, sweeping final turn. They get 20-21 days a year.

Northam -

Wish there was a more recent clip. It's located an hour and a half east of Perth. It's a very standard 2000 meter grass oval. They get 17-19 days a year.

Pinjarra Park -

It's located about an hour south of Perth. The track is a 1800 meter grass oval. It's unique feature is that is has the capability of 1000 meter straight races, one of the few in Australia. They get 24-27 days a year.

Bunbury -

It's located 2 hours south of Perth. The track is a 1800 meter oblong grass oval with an elongated first turn leading to a short backstretch with a tight home turn. I had the chance to visit Bunbury on a return trip back to WA after I was stationed there. Wonderful mid-level track that gets 28-32 days a year.

Toodyay -

It's located a little over an hour northeast of Perth. Not as nice as a provincial track, but not quite as rustic as a bush track. It's a 1600 meter, mostly circular track, with a tight uphill turn leading to a downhill homestretch finish. They only get 1 day a year.

Bonus Track - This one is for Waquoit

Te Aroha -

It's located on the North Island about 2 hours southeast of Auckland. The drive there is not as cumbersome as many of the tracks on the North Island. The video does not quite give it justice, as it is set a the foot of the mountain named for the town in the Kaimai Range. However, it does show the palm trees that line the final turn. It's a rather flat 1900 meter oval that features racing on the flat, as well as over fences. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. They get 10-12 days a year.

Scanman · 04-18-2020, 01:49 AM

Pretty much exhausted Western Australia, so I'll move to South Australia. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any bush tracks with video, so I'll show a few of the provincial tracks. All of these will have a grass surface.

Naracoorte -

It's 3 1/2 hours south of Adelaide. The track is a 1730 meter oblong. The first turn is very tight leading to a 500 meter backstretch that takes them to a long sweeping, about a 700 meters, final turn with a short 300 meter homestretch. They get 7 to 8 days a year.

Bordertown -

It's 3 hours south of Adelaide. The track is a 1600 meter oblong. The first turn is similar to that of a normal oval, but the final turn is more of a mini-turn/straight/mini-turn leading to the homestretch. They get 5 days a year.

Mount Gambier -

Looks like someone's personal video, but it was the only clip I could find. It's about 4 1/2 hours south of Adelaide. The track is a 1850 meter rectangle with a slight elbow in the homestretch. They also have a steeplechase inner track, as they are one of the handful that run over the jumps. Only two states have jump racing in Australia. Victoria is the other. They get 8 days a year.

Murray Bridge -

It's an hour east of Adelaide. The track is a 1850 meter oval that is also used for hurdle racing. They get 20-21 days a year.

Penola -

It's 4 hours south of Adelaide. The track is a 1850 meter kind of pentagon shaped track. I had the chance to walk this course during my visit in 2014. The track has a tight first turn, followed by a 400 meter straight, then a slight turn to a 300 meter straight, slight turn with a rise in ground taking them to another 300 meter straight, still rising to a very sharp final turn leading them to a short, 280 meter, downhill homestretch with a slight rise in the last 50 meters. A really tricky racecourse for the riders. The track is surrounded with vineyards that are most notable from the 800 meter mark to the top of the homestretch. They get 7 to 10 days a year.

Now a bit of self-aggrandisement. While at Penola, I was interviewed for a spot on The Races TV. Here's a link to the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=xmh8vhY3A5c

Scanman · 04-18-2020, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxdLGDly0LU

Thanks for sharing. Excellent clip of what the Birdsville Races are all about.

Scanman · 04-22-2020, 02:15 PM

Thought I would finish up with South Australia today.

Port Lincoln -

It's about a 7 hour drive around the Spence Gulf. Though, it would probably be easier/quicker to fly there from Adelaide across the gulf. The track is a 1550 meter oblong/"D" shaped layout. They get 16-20 days a year.

Port Augusta -

It's 3 1/2 hours north of Adelaide. Port Augusta is the last major town before heading north out into the bush. The track is a 2100 meter, trapezoid. It's one of the few provincial dirt surfaces that I am aware of, similiar to those in Alice Springs (NT) and Carnarvon (WA). They also apply oil to surface to reduce kick back. They get 9-11 day a year.

Balaklava -

Just a little over an hour north of Adelaide. The track is a 2053 meter oval with a 1050 meter chute for the sprinters. They get 10-14 days a year.

Strathalbyn -

Another track close to Adelaide, just about a hour southeast of the city. The track is an undulating 1690 meter oval with big sweeping turns. Both stretches only measure a little over 300 meters. During my course walk, I could tell that this could be a "horse for course" type of track. Going into the "clubhouse" turn, the terrain is downhill and continues that way until the top of the backstretch. There is a steady rise throughout the backstretch increasing significantly as they hit the 600 meter mark leading to the top of the stretch where the hill and turn create quite a challenge. The rise continues till the middle of the homestretch then shifts downhill for the last 100-150 meters. So glad I had the chance to visit this racecourse. A beautiful facility and must if your in the area. Of course, it holds a special place for me, as it was my 50th Australian racecourse visit. They get 16-18 days year.

Gawler -

Just under an hour north of Adelaide in the Barossa Valley wine region. The track is an 1840 meter ovalish layout. The turn leading to the backstretch is flattened out due to the urban makeup of the town. It's another track that I had the chance to walk during my visit and I can say with full certainty that Gawler has the finest grass racing surface that I had ever walked/seen. The lushness of the grass, smooth surface, perfectly cambered turns are without compare. The closest track that I have walked that would come close would be Laurel. Gawler, for it's size, has a wonderful facility and I thoroughly enjoyed my day there, always hopeful for a return visit. They get 15-16 days a year.

Scanman · 04-25-2020, 10:52 PM

Will try to cover Tasmania and the others in the Northern Territory in this post.

Longford (TAS) -

It's a little over 2 hours north of Hobart, but just 30 minutes from Launceston. I was glad that there was a clip for Longford, since they only race once a year, on New Years Day. Otherwise, it's used for training and gate trials for nearby Mowbray (Launceston). The track is a 1600 meter trapezoid shaped layout.

King Island (TAS) -

One of the other racecourses located on an island. The only way to get to this one is to fly from Melbourne or Launceston. Fortunately, the airport is only 10 minutes away. It's another trapezoid measuring about 1400 meters around. They get 6-7 days a year.

Mowbray (TAS) -

It's about 2 1/2 hours north of Hobart and is often referred to as Launceston for town where it is located. The track is 1830 meters that sort of has the shape of a rhombus. It's a provincial track that gets 27-30 days a year.

Devonport (TAS) -

It's a little over 3 hours north of Hobart. The track is a 1500 meter oval and is the only track in Australia that is exclusively synthetic (Tapeta). It is also considered to be a provincial track and because of it's surface, has races carded on a weekly basis.

Tennants Creek (NT) -

Back to the bush for this one. It's located about 10 hours south of Darwin. The track is about a 1600 meter dirt oblong that only gets one day a year.

Pioneer Park (NT) -

Located in Alice Springs, it is close to the center-most geographical point in Australia. It's 15 hours south of Darwin and 15 1/2 hours north of Adelaide. The track is a 1690 meter oblong with a very short 270 meter homestretch. It would be considered a provincial track, as they get 34-36 days of racing each year. To maintain/bind the dirt surface, it is treated with waste oil. The waste oil is made up from a variety of waste mechanical oils.

Track Collector · 04-29-2020, 02:58 AM

Just found this thread.

Thanks for posting these Tom!

Now I am going to HAVE TO go to Australia some day. Particularly interested in many of these "bush" tracks, but the logistics are probably a challenge with those that only race 1-2 days a year.

Scanman · 04-29-2020, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Track Collector

Just found this thread.

Thanks for posting these Tom!

Now I am going to HAVE TO go to Australia some day. Particularly interested in many of these "bush" tracks, but the logistics are probably a challenge with those that only race 1-2 days a year.

Chris - Glad you are enjoying the clips. Most of these are your kind of tracks.

Hopefully, I'll get you there one of these days and we can visit a few. The next post will have some of the more obscure tracks in Queensland.

Scanman · 04-29-2020, 11:28 PM

Now a few from Queensland. All of these tracks only get one day a year.

Bedourie -

Wish there was a more recent clip. I cannot image it's changed much, in that, I'd be willing to bet that they still don't have an inside rail for most of the track. Bedourie is 17 1/2 hours west of Brisbane. The track is 1600 meter oval. Also, it's one of the four tracks that run left handed in Queensland. The others are Birdsville, Taroom, and a track I've yet to identify despite an exhaustive search. If anyone finds out which one is the fourth, let us know.

Betoota -

This clip was shot by my friend Sharon Chapman and her partner Mark Lee on their trek to Betoota and Birdsville last year. Not an actual race, but race footage and you are able to get the flavor of this bush track located 15 1/2 hours west of Brisbane. The track is 1600 meters very similar to Bedourie and runs their meeting in the lead up to the Birdsville carnival.

Jundah -

Another oldish clup. Looks like they have an inside rail for the last 900 meters, and again, wouldn't think much has changed since. It's about 14 hours west of Brisbane. The track is 1600 meters and is circular shaped with a home straight of about 300 meters.

Isisford -

It's about 12 hours west of Brisbane. The track is a 1600 meter oval.

Jandowae -

Not a great clip, as it appears to be taken off of a computer. However, it still gives a good look at Jandowae racecourse. The race starts at the 0:45 second mark into the clip. Jandowae is a little over 3 1/2 hours northwest of Brisbane. The track is a 1600 meter circular shape with a very short 250 meter home straight.

Scanman · 05-06-2020, 09:27 PM

Got a little side tracked with a project that last couple of days. Okay, back to Queensland.

Atherton -

Race starts at the 3:35 mark in the clip. Atherton is 19 hours north of Brisbane and would be considered a country venue. The track is a grass 1600 meter oval. They get 8-10 days a year.

Barcaldine -

Barcaldine is 12 1/2 hours northwest of Brisbane. Also a country venue, the track is a grass 1700 meter oval. They run 5-7 days a year.

Bowen -

Bowen is 13 hours north of Brisbane. This country venue is a grass 1700 meter oval. They generally get 5 days a year.

Blackall -

Blackall is 10 1/2 hours northwest of Brisbane. Back on the dirt for this bush venue. The track is a 1600 meter oval and gets 4-5 days a year.

Charleville -

Charleville is a little over 8 hours west of Brisbane. The track is an 1800 meter dirt oval. This bush track get 7-8 days a year.

In addition to the Aussie tracks, I decided to add one "out of the way" track. My "Bonus Track" today is

Champ de Mars -

Champ de Mars is located on the tiny island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean. It's located 1650 miles east of South Africa. This one is going to be tough to get to someday. The track is a 1300 right-handed grass oval. They race weekly from March to December.