Olympic Park, Melbourne

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Olympic Park is a sporting precinct located a few kilometres from the CBD of Melbourne, Australia.

[edit] History

^[1] Prior to white settlement of Melbourne in 1834, the Yarra River Valley was inhabited by the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. Owing to its naturally lightly wooded grasslands, the area has always been idyllic for recreational pursuits and has served a remarkable range of purposes.

The riverside pastures of Richmond Paddock became the short lived site for the first Melbourne Zoological Gardens (one of the world's oldest) in 1861 however the area was too cold and damp. The Zoo subsequently moved to its present site at Royal Park.

Despite council improvements in the 1880's, the Yarra constantly flooded until the Yarra Improvement Act of 1896 empowered the Board of Works to realign the river between the City and Richmond. What was known as the Friendly Society's Gardens, used for athletic carnivals and social events, was pronounced Crown Land in 1909 by the Victorian Government. It was described as a "site for the recreation convenience and amusement of people and as a children's playground". The Amateur Sports Grounds featured a rough and ready sports oval (where the Olympic Pool and Olympic Park Stadium were later constructed) adjacent to an asphalt cycle track constructed by the League of Victorian Wheelmen in 1897.

A significant turn of events was the lease granted to Melbourne Carnivals Pty Ltd in 1923, a company formed by Jim DuFrocq and Jack Campbell. The company, with colourful and dynamic local entrepreneur John Wren behind it, built the Melbourne Motordrome. The stadium was opened in November 1924 at a cost of 30,000 pounds. Around this time the VFL sought to utilise the ground but the deal never eventuated and although the Motordrome hosted three VFA Grand Finals from 1925-27, it was never used as a regular football ground.

A campaign led by defunct newspaper, The Argus, condemned the appropriation of public space for commercial activities however authorities maintained the land was still open to the community. Criticism subsided as people attended all manner of entertainments. Some events were less successful than others; racing ostriches were imported from South Australia in December 1926 but in what The Argus labelled 'a complete fiasco' the confused and terrified beasts (with cardboard cutout 'jockeys') wandered aimlessly, scampered in all directions or simply stood stupefied. 'Motor Push Ball' was another bizarre affair, as were children being pulled by billy goats in two wheeler carts.

The Motordrome's innovative 'saucer' track was primarily used by intrepid motorbike and sidecar racers. 'Danger don't lean over track' signs warned patrons (two were killed in 1929) and a 'danger line' on the wall guided riders around the 48 degree bank. There were in fact two tracks; a flatter 494 yard dirt track surrounded by the treacherous 629 yard concrete one used for two lap 'professional wheel racing' events. American star motorcyclists Jim Davis and Paul Anderson regularly thrilled crowds whilst Ron Hipwell was the local favourite. Tearing around at over 80 miles an hour with no brakes (a safety measure) on the steep banks, it was little surprise that five riders lose their lives.

Cycling events also became popular as the Great Depression took hold. Legendary rider Hubert Opperman broke the world record for the dangerous 5 mile motor paced event. The nature of this unique 'velodrome' lent itself to motor-paced feats such as Opperman covering 100 miles in 90 minutes in 1930.

In 1928 Wren also established the world's richest professional footrace, 'The Melbourne Thousand'. The inaugural winner of the 500 pound prize was star South Melbourne footballer Austin Robertson. The sprint was last run in 1932 - the same year in which Melbourne played three VFL home games at the Motordrome owing to the MCG undergoing resurfacing works.

The Motordrome ran its last race on 8 April 1933, making way for 'more modern' dirt racing such as the popular midget cars promoted by Melbourne Carnivals' Richard Lean from 1934. The new Olympic Park Speedway saw the birth of this still popular form of racing in Australia. Its name was also the first reference to the term 'Olympic Park' to what was still a rough sports ground on the western side and a better quality field surrounded by the track on the eastern side.

Football returned on 30 March 1935 when the first floodlit game between 1934 Grand Finalists Richmond and South Melbourne remarkably drew 25,000 spectators. The practice match was interspersed with midget car races in the breaks. At this time John Wren nearly closed a deal for Richmond to relocate to Olympic Park.

The AIF assumed control of Olympic Park in 1940 and continued petrol rationing spelled the death knell for the speedway in the aftermath of WW2. The venue met with the wrecking ball in 1946 but few local residents lamented the demise of the noisy motorsports.

The Olympic Games transformation began in 1951 and saw the building of a velodrome and a new 5,500 seat world standard swimming pool. Olympic Park venues hosted Olympic hockey, cycling, soccer, water polo, diving and swimming competitions.

The most famous sporting moment at Olympic Park actually occurred just prior to the Games in the 1956 Australian Mile Championship. Champion Australian runner John Landy stopped mid-race to help fallen rival Ron Clarke to his feet, then sprinted away to claim the title. A statue across the road is a permanent reminder of Australian sport's most famous act of sportsmanship.

The Victorian Amateur Football Association took up residence at Olympic Park in 1957, using the venue as its administration base and for a weekly featured match. An amateur state game between Victoria and South Australia was played the same year, televised by the ABC (the first full coverage of an Australian Rules game). By 1961 the ABC was also televising the VAFA's 'match of the day' but commercial realities saw the VAFA vacate Olympic Park by year's end as the Melbourne Greyhound Racing Club begun a 34 year tenure.

During the 1960's Olympic Park attracted up to 900,000 people annually for athletics and soccer. In 1966 an incredible 37,500 soccer fans turned out to watch Roma FC (4) defeat Victoria (2) - doubling the stadium's current capacity. The Victorian Rugby Union competition used the Eastern sportsground, as did three Victorian Soccer Federation teams and even the Australian Equestrian Federation held twice yearly championships here. As the only FIFA recognised soccer stadium in Australia, Olympic Park hosted a number of international football matches. In total, Australia has played 34 internationals at Olympic Park for 11 wins, 11 draws and 12 losses.

In 1972 the velodrome was demolished and the following year a new grandstand was built for greyhounds, rugby and soccer.

The Olympic pool was replaced by a parquetry floor in 1983, the 7,200 seat venue becoming the city's primary entertainment facility until Flinders Park was completed in 1988. In addition to memorable concerts, the 'Glasshouse' hosted 343 NBL games, more than any other venue in the NBL's history. Most notably the venue held the Championship deciders in 1984, 1988, 1989 and 1994. The distinctive Olympic Pool facility was again refurbished in 2002, becoming a high performance training centre for the Victorian Institute of Sport. The 'Lexus Centre' also became home to the Collingwood Football Club in 2004 after 112 years residence at Victoria Park.

The Western sportsground, known today as Olympic Park Stadium, is the home ground of 2007 NRL champion Melbourne Storm and training field for A-League champion of 2006/07, Melbourne Victory. The Socceroos also train here on occasion although the stadium is most utilised for school and club athletics. Athletics Victoria reside within the Members' Grandstand and an adjacent building is home to Tennis Victoria and the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre.

The old Eastern Sportsground was reborn as Edwin Flack field for a short period whereupon Collingwood used it as their training ground from 2004-06 - some irony given their once great patron John Wren had built the Motordrome on the same location. Now the area is set to become the new state of the art Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, a 31,000 seat home for rugby and soccer - and the headquarters for the Melbourne Football Club. The stadium is on track to open in early 2010.