Secrets of a Sydney past

Just a few air-side places to visit, virtually or otherwise...

There's RAAF Richmond, roughly adjacent to and north of the old Clarendon airfield

Nearby neighbour RAN base Schofields, a bit too close to Richmond to survive

Of course there's Sydney(Kingsford-Smith)

And of course Bankstown, hemmed in by development

and Top Gear Australia has made the most of Camden's distance from Sydney

and Hoxton Park has been axed

and long-lost Hargrave Park - too close to Bankstown - is just a memory, and a collection of interesting street names

Long lost? How about the Jamison Park airfield at Penrith

And many more ex-WWII airstrips dotted around the city's extremities, most lost, a few active like Oaks Airfield or not, like at St Marys.

Labels: airports, airstrips, sydney airport

It's list time again!

1. Sydney Airport, established circa 1920 on land leased from the nearby Ascot Pony Racing club (the north-eastern corner of the airport, more recently known for general aviation and "flight facilities" use). Access via tram to the Ascot race course, and by road from Botany Road. Initially just a relatively flat paddock of grass and sand. Gravel runways added from 1932, first such strip 450 metres long. 2 additional gravel strips added by 1938. Freight railway in north diverted after accident between train and DC3. Cooks River and Alexandria canal diverted and new, concrete runways aligned 07/25 (main) and a shorter 16/34 constructed by 1954. The latter extended into Botany Bay from 1969, with a parallel strip added in late 1990s
2. Rose Bay, the flying boat base from 1938 and chief international airport until circa 1950. Closed in 1974. Seaplanes still fly from several locations in the Sydney area
   
3. Bankstown Airport, busiest by movements in Australia. Multi-runway parallel strips, some crossing (but disused). Bankstown has three main parallel east-west runways, a long centre runway for high-performance aircraft, a northern runway for arrivals and departures, and a southern runway for circuit training. Originally planned in 1929, not established until 1940 as an RAAF facility. Subsequently taken over by the USAAF and established as a key strategic air base to support the war effort, circa 1942. It transferred from US to British Fleet Air Arm operations in 1945, and was known as Royal Naval Air Station Bankstown, or HMS Nabberley, until handed back to the RAAF in 1946. Interestingly, several "dummy houses" were built to make Bankstown Airport appear as a farm, with disguised hangers and fake roads. There was an underground command post on Black Charlie's Hill with gun pits located within and around the airport to protect it from air attack. Another anti-aircraft battery was situated on high land on the corner of Bexley Road and Homer Street, Clemton Park. De Havilland has been located at this airport since 1942, occupying the area south of the main runway. RAAF Mosquito bombers were built there. The primary (centre) runway (11C/29C) is 1,415m x 30m, limited to 50 tonnes MTOW. I undertook flying training here at Illawarra Airways, so it's of some personal interest
4. Hargrave Park, Liverpool, an historic airfield (circa 1920s) now part of the residential suburb of Warwick Farm. Closed circa 1945
   
5. Camden, ex-WWII RAAF Kittyhawk base in current civilian use. AKA 'Macquarie Grove', initial development was private and the airfield was 'loaned' to the government, a deal which became permanent after the war. RAAF Camden housed squadrons 15, 32 (Hudsons, Beauforts) and 78 (Kitthawk). Camden was also the first RAAF Central Flying School (CFS), before being moved to RAAF Tamworth. I flew light training aircraft into Camden in the mid 1970s and can attest to "Kittyhawk-sized" ruts in the grass/gravel taxiways then in use
6. Richmond, current RAAF base, has been so since 1937. Supplemental airport for Sydney from circa 1911. Home base for Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm and their Fokker Trimotor 'Southern Cross' during the late 1920s. Originally called...
7. Clarendon, as per the nearby railway station (railway now ends at Richmond but used to cross the Hawkesbury/Nepean and climb to Kurrajong) was the original airfield (south of current site) and pre-dates Sydney Airport. Also known as Ham Common. William Ewart Hart ran a flying school from this site, circa 1912, as well as his Penrith site...
   
8. Jamieson Park, a historic airfield circa 1911 in Penrith (now just a park). Was used as a base by William Ewart Hart for flights such as 1911 journey from Penrith to Parramatta and return, and as a training site. First recorded aircraft crash in Australia was by Ewart and passenger, near Rooty Hill/Seven Hills
   
9. Parramatta - actual site of Ewart's first and subsequent landings uncertain to me but possibly the now Parramatta Park
   
10. Menangle, 'dispersal' airstrip, a WWII runway built circa 1942 in case of Japanese attack on Sydney. Basically aircraft would fly to these dispersed sites and hide in the forest
    
11. Bargo 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle
    
12. Cordeaux 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle
13. The Oaks 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle and others. The Oaks airfield was constructed circa 1942 as a satellite aerodrome to RAAF Camden. There was a 5000 foot x 150 foot sealed runway aligned 36/18 and split by Burragorang Road (complete with gates to stop stray cars!). Operations probably included Hudsons, B24 Liberator bombers and Kittyhawks. Not required post-war by the RAAF, it was offered for sale in 1946. The current strip is a private field, roughly the southern half of the wartime area. The original runway was removed but a 950m 18/36 main grass strip (perhaps wartime taxiway) was left and a new grass strip of just 400m added (aligned 09/27)
14. Ettalong/Woy Woy 'dispersal' airstrip, another WWII runway, as per Menangle. Believed to have been largely converted into a residential street running north/south
    
15. Marsden Park airstrip, a WWII runway and later motorsport venue. I've found an interesting link between this airstrip and Australian F1 motorsport engineer Ron Tauranac: Ron Tauranac was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia but lived and worked for most of his life in England. He will be known as one of the great race car designers covering the early Brabhams, the Ralts of the 1970s and 1980s, and less-well known the Theodore F1 car. Ron gained his initial experience of engineering with a local company CSR Chemicals, and bought himself an Austin 7. Out for a drive one Sunday, he came across a race meeting at Marsden Park airfield, near Pittown, Sydney. His interest was sparked, and he quickly met up with the Hooper brothers, of motorcycle repairers Hooper & Napier. The brothers were in the process of building their own 500cc car, using a dirt-track JAP in a very simple chassis.
    
16. Pitt Town 'dispersal airstrip, a WWII runway and later motorsport venue
    
17. Schofields aerodrome, a WWII RAAF base and Royal Navy Pacific operation for a few years thereafter; 3 intersecting runways; a motorsport venue 1950-59 (possibly conflicts with the RAN records of operation there in 1953); a Naval base (HMAS Nirimba) from 1959-circa 1974. Closed since 1994, although operations were reported up to 1998. Now a housing and educational site, with aerodrome land, including a 'blimp hangar' and remaining portions of runway) on sale from 2008
    
18. Mt Druitt airstrip, 690 acres in area, circa 1942-1951; a WWII runway approx 1520m long, 2 hangars; later a motorsport venue (1950-53?). The race track was 3.6 kms long and situated on what is now Whalan Reserve, the Mt Druitt Industrial Area and Madang Avenue Primary School.
19. Holsworthy airstrip, a current Army airstrip dating to WWII. (AKA Luscombe airfield). Main strip for army in Sydney, 2 smaller strips due South...called
20. 'Mackel' and
21. 'Complete'
    
22. Hoxton Park airstrip, Cowpastures Road, 1098m long, oriented 16/34. A WWII 'dispersal strip' runway (in case of Japanese attack) Hoxton remains in civilian use but is threatened by development and may close in 2008. Retains features from the war, including gravelled aircraft hide-outs and wartime drainage, taxiways and markings. At the northern end of the runway may be seen 2 earlier forms of surface, one bitumen and the other gravel, and wartime drainage works are found under the runway. There is also a wartime taxiway leading off to the north-west, beyond the current airport perimeter and evidence of aircraft 'hideouts' in the neighbouring eucalyptus forest. There are 2 surviving taxiway bridges across gullies or drainage lines. There is further evidence of taxiways and hideouts to the east of the current runway. The original airstrip was 5000ft (1524m) long and 172ft (52m) wide. The runway has been shortened since World War II and the former runway extension is noticeable at the northern end of the runway. The aircraft revetments or hideaways to the west of the aerodrome may have been removed or destroyed during the construction of the M7 motorway
23. Warnervale aerodrome, about 100km north of Sydney, which is my local strip. It's big enough for a DC-3 but is increasingly hemmed in by development
    
24. Katoomba airstrip, about 100km west of Sydney
25. Wedderburn airstrip, southwest of Sydney
26. Albion Park aerodrome, about 100km south of Sydney
27. Bringelly emergency WWII strip
28. Fleur WWII strip. Presume this is the same as the CSIRO site, will investigate
    
29. Calwalla WWII strip in the southern highlands
    
30. Nepean Dam airstrip
31. Ravenswood airstrip
32. Wallgrove Aerodrome -built in 1942, the runway was 5000ft (1524m) long and 50ft (15.24m) wide, running roughly NW-SW. Wallgrove closed in 1946 and reverted back to farmland. A number of former hideouts or aircraft revetments are still visible, as is some of the runway. However an industrial area has been built over what was the southern end of the aerodrome
    
33. Badgery's Creek - near Liverpool, just a planner's dream for the last 30 years
34. And any others I have missed!
    

Labels: aerodromes, airports, airstrips, Sydney

I'll miss a few I'm sure, but for the record here's my first take on a list of Sydney's race tracks, especially focused on those that hosted races of the wheeled variety but also ponies and horses, greyhounds or whatever springs to mind... in no particular order!

1. Sydney Sports ground - pushbikes (ie real bikes) raced here on a large, shallowly banked outdoor velodrome until about WW2; also speedway cars and motorbikes after that date (until noise complaints outnumbered followers of the sport, who moved west to...
2. Liverpool Speedway - from 1967 to 1985, a banked dolomite surface; pretty much a short dirt oval track for car and motorbike racing, out Casula way
3. Liverpool Collingwood racecourss - circa 1832 the Sydney Turf Club opened a course near Liverpool, probably the one referred to elsewhere as the Collingwood racecourse, used until 1900
4. Liverpool Woodlands racecourse - circa 1890s the Liverpool Turf Club had been formed and was holding races at a course near O'Brien Parade off Orange Grove Road. By 1892 this venture was known as the Liverpool Horse and Galloway Racing Club
5. Centennial Park - a great training Mecca for cyclists, used for road cycle racing on a variety of circuits over the years, it featured also in the 2000 Olympics with both road cycling and the individual road time trial
6. Parramatta Park, another excellent road course for cycle racing, was also used for car racing in the 1950s, until common sense presumably prevailed
7. Henson Park, Marrickville - an old quarry converted into a large outdoor velodrome around 1930, regularly hosting 30,000 spectators on a Saturday night. Replaced in the early 1970s with a steeply-sided (45 degree, 250m) concrete velodrome at...
8. Camperdown, built in or around 1970 in an old quarry/tip, now residential, semi-replaced (how could it truly be replaced?) by...
9. Tempe Velodrome, a 330m concrete track for track racing, built around 1983 in twinship with the Chandler velodrome in Brisbane to replace...
10. Wiley Park, a decent sort of banked bike track that fell victim to road widening (King George's Rd) in the early 1980s. Remnant banking still exists. But all of these velodromes are overshadowed by the...
11. Dunc Gray Olympic Indoor Velodrome, Bass Hill, a timber track purpose built for the 2000 Olympics
12. Complete with a criterium track next door, added post-Olympics. Just a shame it's in Bass Hill (no offence meant, it's just plain hard to get a crowd there)
13. Not too far away is Hurstville Oval, a well-maintained saucer-type velodrome for track-bike racing that quaintly encircles a cricket pitch
14. Several criterium tracks also exist in Hurstville, notably one around Oatley Park (used by St George club for many years)
15. and the purpose-built tracks in Kempt Field
16. and Olds Park, both used for the sadly-defunct Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic
17. Not far away from Hurstville is another purpose-built criterium track for bike racing at Waratah Park, Sutherland, used by the Sutherland Cycling Club. Watch out for the big dipper on the long circuit, it's a hairy turn at the bottom
18. And yet another excellent crit track exists at Lansdowne Park, near Bankstown, a fast and twisty track with a steepish rise to the downhill finish
19. Merrylands Oval, a slightly-less-picturesque but functional saucer velodrome that was home for the McGee brothers for many years
20. Lidcombe Oval, even-less-picturesque saucer velodrome with a sharper than expected left turn after the finish
21. Blacktown Oval - a crit course for bicycle racing with a big tree to dodge on the left and a short and hard-braking area immediately after the sprint. If you don't brake hard you end up in the street
22. Bondi promenade, yes that Bondi, was used as a bicycle racing venue (from the 1940s, or earlier?) until increasing traffic pushed the racing out to Bunnerong Road in the 1960s, until finally a dedicated circuit was built in the 1970s at...
23. Heffron Park, Maroubra. An old military base complete with Nissen huts and long strips of hardstanding concrete (said to be for tanks), Heffron is spiritual home to the Randwick Botany Club
24. There's also an Olympic rowing course at Penrith with an access road that's now used for road racing and time trials
25. And an Olympic Mountain bike course at Fairfield
26. Moving back east, there's Randwick racecourse - horses, rock bands and more recently the Pope (who obviously doesn't mind the horse racing and betting connection). Noteworthy for the massive multi-platform tram station (now sadly a car park)
27. Victoria Park, Zetland - ponies, probably cars as well. Then it became a Nuffield (later Leyland) car factory, Naval stores and finally a residential development
28. Ascot - at Mascot. In the far northeastern corner of today's Sydney Airport it was a pony race track with tram access (a balloon loop). Not much remains to be seen
29. Warwick Farm - horses (still) and previously cars (until maybe the late 70s? I did a driver training course there in about 1978 on just a segment of the track - 'creek corner' - it was seriously narrow with plenty of trees and the aforementioned creek to miss- or hit!). William Long circa early 1880s bought J.H Stroud's 'Warwick park' grant north and east of Liverpool and by 1884 had also developed his property across the river, building stables and tracks there. He called this estate 'Chipping Norton'. In 1922 the racecourse was sold to the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and in 1923 it was closed for redevelopment. The new Warwick Farm course opened 2 years later. A spur line off the main rail line led directly to the racecourse, being subsequently electrified in 1929
30. Campbellfield estate, Campbelltown, along Bow Bowing Creek; circa 1840s. The Campbelltown Turf Club leased 60 acres (24ha) from a John Keighran for a racecourse
31. Narellan - a racecourse was built at Studley Park, Narellan and meetings were regularly held there in the 1890s. Accessible by train to Campbelltown and then by steam tram to Narellan (a long closed line, however embankments remain)
32. Menangle Park - south of Campbelltown, a horse racing track in use since the 1870s. Railway sidings were built to bring people to the track
33. Rosehill racecourse, near Parramatta - horse racing, interesting for its access via a wharf on the Parramatta River and a steam tram from there to Parramatta itself. The steam trams also ran from Parramatta up to Castle Hill. The first race meeting in Parramatta was held in 1810. In 1885 Rosehill Racecourse itself was built on what had been John Macarthur's estate
34. Rosebery - just off Gardeners Road,bordered by Florence Ave, a pony training track. Not much left, it became housing in the 1960s. Plenty of sand hills and lakes in this area, and the trams went right past. In fact the tramways used an area nearby to source sand and gravel for track laying
35. Kensington - right next door to Randwick on High Street, just off Anzac Parade with plentiful tram access; now part of the Uinversity of NSW. At least one old building is still standing and was used to house 'the Old Tote' theatre company for a while, and NIDA
36. Kogarah - pony track, corner of President Ave and Princes Highway, now a TAFE College; served by steam tram of course
37. Sydney Sports Arena, Surry Hills - a steeply-sided wooden velodrome in the area of Devonshire Street (a mural exists depicting this, off Elizabeth Street). Moved to Canterbury
38. Canterbury racecourse - still a horse racing track, the south-eastern corner housed the old indoor timber Sydney Sports Arena velodrome for bike races (which was moved holus-bolus from Surry Hills in the 1950s). Watch the splinters!
39. Maroubra - the Olympia motor racing oval - in the general area of Mons Ave, served by trams. Site was chosen for its remoteness, in the sandhills overlooking the beach and was sadly quite deadly with the occasional car flung out of the track, launched into mid air...
40. Belmore Park, Penrith - Circa 1920s Belmore Park was used as the Penrith Speedway, a dirt track, one mile in circumference. Both car and motor cycle races were held
    
41. Marsden Park - a disused WWII airstrip put to good if brief use as a car racing facility in the early 50s
42. Pitt Town, near Windsor - another old WWII airstrip put to limited use for motor racing in the 50s
43. Schofields, near Blacktown - a disused RAAF aerodrome (3 intersecting runways!) that was used for motor sport from about 1950 until '59, when the airstrip was reactivated as a Naval Air Station. Being so close to Richmond RAAF base was a problem (as a trainee pilot I did touch-and-goes here in the early/mid 70s - it was v. easy to stray into the RAAF prohibited zone and get a verbal caning!). The aerodrome was deactivated once more in the late 1970s with a fence put across the main runway, stranding a DC-3 in situ. Sadly now used for housing... (the land, not the DC-3)
44. and Mt Druitt - yet another old airstrip converted and connected to access roads to form a makeshift (and potholed) racetrack for cars. Closed in the late 50s, it got more use than other disused airfields - but now gone
45. Castlereagh - possibly another airstrip (confirmation, anyone?) converted to dragstrip and closed with the advent of Eastern Creek
46. Catalina Park, complete with PBY-5A Catalina Flying boat in a lake, was a car racing circuit at Katoomba, 100km west of Sydney during the 1960s. It got a reprieve via Rallycross in the 70s and continued with occasional car club use (lap dashes mostly) until "final" closure in the 90s due to growing noise complaints and the fact that it is an incompatible use (being in a national park and draining into Sydney's water supply as it does). It still exists however and is mostly complete - but the Catalina itself is long gone
47. Amaroo Park, Annangrove: a twisty, hilly car racing circuit opened in the 60s, closed in the 90s. Noise problems again. Now housing
48. Oran Park, Narellan: a combination of 2 tracks (north and south) that could be combined to form a single, scary-fast "GP" circuit. Will close in 2008 and become (yawn) housing
49. Eastern Creek, a "new" track in western Sydney that comprises a car circuit and a dragstrip. The circuit itself and connecting roads and car parks are also used for bicycle racing
50. Moving back towards the coast, there are 2 historically interesting venues - firstly Wentworth Park, Ultimo, a multisport park complete with a railway viaduct through the middle. Greyhounds, trotting, pacers - I have no idea really. Something to do with horses and dogs, I believe, with bets placed
51. And Harold Park at Glebe with much the same mix of animals raced around an oval of sorts nestled up against the old Rozelle Tram depot. There must be a good reason to house seemingly similar venues so close together but I haven't explored why it is so... yet
52. I'm sure I've missed a few... insert them here!

Labels: airports, cycling, horse racing, motor racing circuits, Sydney

You probably realise that Sydney has one international airport, namely Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport. You probably also realise that there's a major light aircraft airfield in the outer-inner western suburb of Bankstown. You may even know about Camden airport, south-west of Sydney.

Some of you will have heard of Schofields, the former RAN air base, near the RAAF base at Richmond. Schofields had a triangular arrangement of intersecting runways, and when the Navy moved out the strips were gradually cut, with one DC3 marooned there when a fence divided the longest remaining strip. Did they truck it out, or take down the fence? RAAF 36 Squadron moved to Schofields near Sydney on 19 August 1946 as well for a time, populating the field with C-47s. Sadly now it's suburbia.

There's even the single-strip at Hoxton Park, west of Liverpool. You may think you know all that there is to know about aviation in Sydney... but wait, there's more.

What about Hargrave Park, near Liverpool? Now suburbia.

Penrith had an airfield, too, now a park close to town.

Holsworthy is an army base that can take short-field RAAF transports.

What of Duffy's Forest, to the north?

There are also many more grass strips to list, and we'll get to them soon enough.

What about the history of Sydney's airports? What of the pony racing that was conducted on land to the east of the current domestic terminals? Or the balloon loop for the trams that brought punters to that pony track? What of the early runway alignment at Sydney, which had one runway crossing the railway tracks to the northeast? Or of the DC3 that was involved in an accident with a freight train?

There are some secrets to be uncovered here. It will take time but we'll get there!

Labels: airports, Bankstown, camden, Hargrave Park, Holsworthy, Hoxton Park, Penrith, pony racing, Richmond, schofields, sydney airport, trams