They Once Raced Here - Volume 5 Update

A quick update for readers of the They Once Raced Here series.

Research and writing for Volume 5 is well advanced and I'm currently working towards completing the book by the end of the year.

This volume focuses on Gippsland, a part of Victoria that I didn't know particularly well when I began the project. It's also a long way from home, which has made the research both challenging and rewarding. What I quickly discovered was the sheer number of racecourses that once operated across the region. From well-known clubs to long-forgotten picnic meetings and sports day races, Gippsland proved to be a much larger task than I initially anticipated.

As with the previous volumes, the research has involved countless hours working through newspaper archives, parish plans, survey records, historical maps and local histories, trying to establish not only when and where racing occurred but, wherever possible, the precise location of each course.

What has made this volume particularly interesting are the questions that kept appearing during the research. Why was a racecourse officially gazetted but apparently never used? Why did some towns have two or three different racecourses over time? Why do so many Gippsland hotels seem to have burnt down? And how is it that some of the district's best-known racecourses today are not even on their original sites?

One of the surprises for me was discovering that some racecourses which are still well known today have not always occupied their present locations. In at least one case, the course most people associate with the town has only been on its current site for around fifty years, despite a much longer racing history in the district.

I've also enjoyed uncovering the stories behind the courses themselves. Some locations were identified relatively quickly, while others required weeks of comparing maps, land records and newspaper reports before the pieces finally fell into place. Many sites have long disappeared beneath farmland, housing, recreation reserves or modern development, leaving little obvious evidence that racing ever took place there.

The more I worked through the region, the more apparent it became just how widespread racing once was throughout Gippsland. Communities large and small held meetings, often with race days doubling as major social events for the district. While many of these courses have vanished from the landscape, their stories remain remarkably well preserved in newspaper reports and local records.

In addition to work on Volume 5, I've also been collaborating with Racing.com again on a short series examining the life and legacy of Phar Lap. It's been an enjoyable project to be involved with and has provided an opportunity to revisit one of the most fascinating stories in Australian racing history. The series is expected to air shortly and I'll share further details once they become available.

I'm also currently in discussions with Racing.com about a second series based on the They Once Raced Here books. We're close to sorting out what that will look like, where we will go and when it will happen. I'll have more to share in the near future. Stay tuned.

There's still work to be done, but the manuscript is now taking shape and the finish line is in sight. If everything remains on schedule, Volume 5 should be completed and available before the end of the year.

I'd like to thank everyone who has supported the series, purchased previous volumes, shared local knowledge or pointed me in the right direction. Many of the discoveries included in this volume began with a simple lead, question or observation from someone with an interest in their local history, and those contributions continue to be invaluable.

I'll post further updates as work progresses.

Have fun out there.

Chris