Victoria Park, Adelaide facts for kids
Victoria Park, also known as Park 16 and Pakapakanthi, is a large park in Adelaide, South Australia. It is part of the beautiful Adelaide Park Lands. You can find it bordered by Fullarton Road, Greenhill Road, East Terrace and Wakefield Road.
This park is a popular spot for many big events throughout the year. For example, it used to host the exciting Formula 1 car race from 1985 to 1995. It also hosted the Adelaide 500 car race from 1999 until 2020.
Park History and Events
Victoria Park has a long and interesting history. It was once famous for its horse racing track. This track was home to the Adelaide Racing Club. The main track was very long, about 2,360 metres. It even had the longest straight section of any horse racing track in Australia!
Famous horse races like the Grand National Hurdle happened here. A well-known jockey named Jack McGowan won many races in the late 1800s.
Over time, things changed. In 2008, the horse racing club moved to Morphettville Racecourse. Some old buildings were taken down, like a grandstand from the 1950s. But an older grandstand from the 1880s is being fixed up. This is part of a big plan to make the park even better. The park still hosts horse events, like the Adelaide International Horse Trials.
Motor Racing at the Park
A part of the park was used for the Adelaide Street Circuit. This is where big motor racing events took place. When races happened, temporary grandstands were built for people to watch.
The park hosted the Adelaide 500 car race for many years. It also used to be the home of the Australian Grand Prix from 1985 to 1995. Another special event, the "Race of a Thousand Years", was held here on New Year's Eve in 2000. Today, the park also hosts races for human-powered vehicles (HPV) in winter. These races are now on a special track built just for them.
A Park for Everyone
In 2008, the Adelaide City Council announced plans to make Victoria Park a "people's park". This means adding things for everyone to enjoy. These plans include creating wetlands (areas of land covered with water), sports facilities for the community, and walking tracks. The park will continue to have areas for temporary motor racing events too.
Images for kids
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Horse racing track along the eastern edge of Victoria Park, next to Fullarton Road.
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The old grandstand of the former Victoria Park Racecourse is still there.
