Gayndah Racecourse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gayndah Racecourse |
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Gayndah Racecourse
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| Location | Fisher Avenue, Gayndah, North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | c. 1855 |
| Official name: Gayndah Racecourse, Gayndah Race Track | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 12 September 2005 |
| Reference no. | 602514 |
| Significant period | c. 1855 (fabric) 1868 (historical) 1855-ongoing (social) |
| Significant components | track - horse racing |
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Gayndah Racecourse is a historic place in Gayndah, Queensland, Australia. It's a special track where horse races have been held for a very long time. It was built around 1855 and is also known as Gayndah Race Track. Because of its long history, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 September 2005.
Contents
The History of Gayndah Racecourse
The Gayndah Racecourse was set up in the mid-1850s. It replaced an older track that was built nearby in 1852. A very important race, the first Queensland Derby, was held here in 1868. The racecourse is still used regularly for horse racing today.
How Gayndah Town Started
Europeans first explored the Burnett area in the early 1840s. They were looking for land to graze sheep. The town of Gayndah was founded in 1849 to support these sheep farms. Maurice O'Connell, who was the Land Commissioner, chose the town's location and named it.
Gayndah quickly grew into an important centre. By the 1850s, it had a court house and a police station. Soon after, a school, post office, and bank were also built. At one point, people even thought Gayndah might become the capital of Queensland! This was before Queensland officially separated from New South Wales.
Later, cattle farming became more popular than sheep farming in the area. Citrus orchards also grew successfully. From the early 1900s, dairy farming also helped the local economy.
Early Days of Horse Racing
In 1852, the same year Gayndah became an official town, people met to plan a horse racing track. They raised £100 and chose a good spot on the edge of town. The first race was held on 30 June 1852. It was a three-day event with big prizes. This first track was used for a few years. Then, a new, flatter site was chosen nearby, which is where the current racecourse is. This probably happened in 1855 or 1856.
Getting the Land for the Racecourse
In July 1858, people in Gayndah asked Sir William Denison, who was the Governor of New South Wales at the time, to officially grant the land for the racecourse. They explained that Gayndah didn't have a recreation reserve, and the closest racecourse was Ipswich, which was 230 miles away. Many people signed this request.
At first, the government was hesitant because the land was planned for future housing. However, a report in 1859 suggested that a reserve of 100 to 120 acres should be given for the racecourse. This was because the town was growing in a different direction. The request was approved on 11 June 1859.
Queensland became its own self-governing colony on 10 December 1859. The racecourse land, which was 180 acres, was surveyed in March 1862. The land grant was officially signed by Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland, on 26 March 1863. It stated the land was "as a racecourse and for no other purpose."
Horse Racing Grows in Queensland
Horses first arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. The first organised horse race was held in Hyde Park, Sydney, in 1810. The first racing club, the Australian Jockey Club, was formed in 1842.
In Queensland, horse racing was one of the first organised sports. This happened after the Moreton Bay District was opened for free settlement. The first race meeting in Queensland was held at Coopers Plains in 1843. By 1846, there was a racecourse in New Farm, Brisbane. Towns like Warwick, Ipswich, and Drayton also started holding races. The government thought racing was important because horses were vital for transport, work, and fun. Racing also helped improve horse breeding.
In 1861, the Gayndah Race Club changed its name to the Queensland Jockey Club. At that time, Brisbane had the Brisbane Race Club, and Ipswich had the North Australia Race Club. Eagle Farm Racecourse opened in Brisbane in 1863, replacing the old New Farm track. The Queensland Turf Club was also formed. By this time, the Gayndah racecourse had booths where people could buy food and drinks.
The First Queensland Derby
Gayndah hosted the very first Queensland Derby race. This is a classic race for three-year-old horses, run over one and a half miles. The original Derby race started in England in 1780. In Australia, the first Derby was run in Sydney in 1861.
In 1868, the Queensland Derby was held at Gayndah. Bookmakers even travelled from Melbourne for the event. A horse named Hermit won the race, and its owner, William Parry-Okeden, received 20 sovereigns as a prize. The Derby was held at Gayndah for two more years. Then, it stopped for a while and was brought back in 1872 in Brisbane.
Race Meetings and Their Importance
Race meetings were big events. People came from all over the area, and even from places like Port Curtis, Ipswich, and Nanango. Horses travelled from as far away as Sydney to compete. Gayndah saw itself as the main racing centre in Queensland, even after the Derby moved to Brisbane.
A Brisbane Cup race was held in 1866, and a Gayndah Cup followed in 1867. Soon after, other towns like Gympie, Maryborough, Rockhampton, Townsville, Charters Towers, Toowoomba, Warwick, and Dalby also started their own Cup events.
Horse racing became very popular in Queensland in the 1880s. Many new clubs were formed, and more race meetings were held. New rules were adopted in 1885, based on those used in England. All clubs then registered under the Queensland Turf Club rules. The Queensland Racing Calendar was first published in 1886. By 1890, all clubs agreed to let the Queensland Turf Club set race dates to avoid clashes.
Modern Times at the Racecourse
In 1914, the racecourse land was officially made a reserve. Trustees, led by the Mayor of Gayndah, managed it. In 1937, special rules for the racecourse were created. The Gayndah Shire Council still acts as trustees for the racecourse today.
New buildings were added to the racecourse in the 1980s. The track has been used continuously since it began. The Gayndah Jockey Club still hosts regular racing meetings there.
A statue of a horse and rider in Capper Street remembers the first Queensland Derby held in Gayndah.
What Gayndah Racecourse Looks Like
The Gayndah Racecourse is on a large, flat area on the southeast side of Gayndah town. Roads surround it on three sides, and there's a big open field next to it on the south.
Entrances and the Track
There are two gates to enter the racecourse. One gate has timber posts and a metal frame with the letters G.J.C., which stands for Gayndah Jockey Club. The other gate is made of timber and celebrates the Centenary of Federation. It also remembers the founding of Queensland's first Jockey Club in Gayndah in 1861 and the first Queensland Derby in 1868.
The race track itself takes up most of the space. It's surrounded by a fence with white-painted metal posts. The track is covered in grass and is shaped like a long oval. It is about 17,097 metres around. There's also a smaller training track inside the main one. Sometimes, crops are grown in the very centre of the course.
Race Day Features
A mechanical starting stall is used to begin each race. The straight part of the track, where the winning post is, is at the northwest corner. A metal tower overlooks this area. Beautiful Bougainvillea flowers are planted along the edge of the track here. North of the tower, there are parallel rails coloured red, yellow, and blue for the winning horses.
Behind the main area, there are two sets of modern buildings. The buildings closest to the track include a clubhouse, a betting ring, bars, a ladies' room, and a tearoom with a kitchen. The second set of buildings includes rooms for jockeys, offices, and the Totalisator office (where bets are placed and winnings are paid). There's also a toilet block.
The racecourse also has 60 day stalls for horses. There's a special swabbing stall with a washing-down area at the end of the stalls. The saddling enclosure, where horses are prepared for races, is between the jockeys' room and the track.
Why Gayndah Racecourse is Important
Gayndah Racecourse was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 September 2005. This means it's a very important historical site.
A Look at Queensland's History
The Gayndah Racecourse was built in the 1850s, when Europeans first settled in Queensland. It shows how important and how early horse racing developed as a sport. Horse races were some of the first organised sports in Australia. They were not just for fun, but also helped improve horse breeding. This was very important when horses were used for transport, work, and even in wars. The first Derby race in Queensland was held on this track in 1868.
The racecourse also shows how Gayndah grew as an early town. Gayndah was founded in 1849 as a main centre for the Burnett District.
A Unique Part of Queensland's Heritage
The Gayndah Racecourse is special because it's one of the few horse racing tracks from the mid-1800s in Queensland. It might even be the race track that has been used continuously for horse racing longer than any other in Queensland.
Important to the Community
The Gayndah Racecourse is very important to the community. It has special social value for members of the Jockey Club, horse trainers, owners, and jockeys. It also means a lot to generations of racegoers from all walks of life, both from the local area and from further away.
