Geelong Racecourse

The Geelong Racecourse is a major regional horse racing venue in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The current racecourse dates to 1908. The annual Geelong Cup is held at the course every October, as well as a number of other race meets through the year.

History

The first race meet in Geelong was on May 1 1841, at Corio. Three races were held on the day. The next meet was held at "Airey's Flat" on the banks the Moorabool River near Fyansford.[1] In 1849 a start was made on a proper racecourse, with 727 acres (2.94 km2) of land beside the Barwon River at Marshalltown chosen. Situated close to Lake Connewarre, the land was subject to frequent flooding.[1]

The Geelong Racing Club was formed in 1866, holding their first meet on January 18 and 19 1866. February 23 1872 saw the first Geelong Cup held at the Marshalltown course, where a new grandstand was opened. A railway branch line was provided to the course in 1878.[2] In 1907 it was decided to relocate the Geelong Racecourse and Geelong Showgrounds to their current site on Breakwater Road, East Geelong. The first race meet was held there in March 1908, with the first Geelong Racing Club meet being held there on December 12 1908. The Geelong Racecourse railway station was also provided at this time.

The course itself has seen a number of upgrades since, the most recent being the provision of a third grandstand and an upgrade of the track itself.

References

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  1. 1 2 "Geelong Racing Club". www.grc.com.au. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  2. ↑ "Rail Geelong: Marshall Station History". Retrieved 2007-07-01.

Coordinates: 38°10′27″S 144°22′33″E / 38.1743°S 144.3757°E / -38.1743; 144.3757

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