Stawell and District residents have long had an interest in horse racing and harness racing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Horse racing in Stawell was first reported in 'The Stawell News and Pleasant Creek Chronicle' in November 1857 and harness racing [trotting] was established in 1956.
Harness Racing became very popular, State-wide, in the mid 1950's and in 1956 the North Western Trotting Club built a new track on the site of the old Wimmera Quartz Crushing Company workings, where it still exists today.
The Wimmera Quartz Crushing Company operated on the site from October 1860 to around 1911.
There was no actual mine on the site as the W.Q.C.C. was a public crushing Company where mine owners could bring their quartz to be crushed.
The base of the track was made of quartz sand which had to be carted in from the foothills of the Black Ranges.
The total cost for the construction of the track ended up being £20,000 with the first trotting meeting being held on August 29th 1959.
The driving force behind the construction of the complex was Adam Alexander Laidlaw of Ararat.
Several years earlier he had approached the Stawell Borough Council to enquire if there was somewhere in Stawell suitable for the development of a Trotting Track.
The Council agreed for the Trotting Track to be built on the old Wimmera Quartz Crushing Company site.
Mr Laidlaw helped finance the project and in his honour, the park was named 'Laidlaw Park' at the official opening on December 8, 1957.
He was the founding President of the North Western Trotting Club - Stawell.
The T.A.B. [Totalisator Agency Board] was operating off site then and at the first seven meetings held at the new track, £343,932 was invested at the Stawell meetings.
A Drive-In Movie Theatre was incorporated into the grounds in 1957 and was officially opened in November of that year.
With accommodation for around 500 cars, movies were screened six days a week.
The dining room at the Drive-In was operated for a time by Mr. L. A. Hall, from Winston Lodge who served T-Bone steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs and fish and chips for the patrons.
Don Kennedy took over the lease in 1964 and continued on as the lessee until 1987 when he decided to close the business.
At the time he stated "We have to compete with colour television, 10 o'clock closing and video's, all making Drive-In Movie Theatres no longer viable"
The Drive-In officially closed in July 1988 and the screen was demolished in December 1988.
The grounds are now used by the Stawell Agricultural Society for their annual Agricultural Show.
The buildings on the site now house the Tabaret which incorporates on-site betting and poker machines.
Also, meals are served nightly in the Bistro.
The monthly farmers market is held on the site.
