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Fun in the park The Combined Friendly Society used the area for athletic carnivals and social events. In a £100 challenge which drew around 8,500 spectators, Hewitt, the English champion, defeated local sprinter Harris comfortably on the heavy gravel track. It was a rematch of a disputed dead heat held months before at the MCG. 1834 1861 1870s - 1890s 1896 Prior to white settlement of Melbourne Melbourne’s first zoo in 1834, the Yarra River Valley was The riverside pasture of Richmond inhabited by the Wurundjeri people Paddock was the original location of the Kulin Nation. for Melbourne’s Zoological Gardens, The Yarra changes course & cycle track built the first Zoo established in Australia and one of the world’s oldest. The Government Despite council improvements in the 1880s, The following year the League of Victorian moved the Zoo to the current Royal Park During the 1870s, some curious the Yarra constantly flooded walking and Wheelmen completed an enclosed cycling The naturally lightly wooded site in 1862 when it became apparent events took place such as the cycling tracks until the Yarra Improvement Act track. The banked asphalt track included the site was too damp and swampy World 300 yard Championship (1870) of 1896 enabled the Board of Works to realign a grandstand, bar and a range of amenities. grasslands have long provided to accommodate the small collection and a Festival of the Druids (1873). the river between the City and Richmond. As well as other cycling and running tracks, an idyllic scene for a range of fauna, which included monkeys, the area known as the Friendly Societies’ native birds and mammals. Gardens was used for tennis and women’s of recreational pursuits. cricket from the 1890s to the early 1900s. Image: F. Grosse, Plan of the Zoological Gardens, Richmond Paddock, RM 1641, National Library of Australia. Proclamation of Crown Land The area now known as Olympic Park was proclaimed The man behind Melbourne Carnivals, dynamic Crown land by the State Government on 24 August 1909. entrepreneur John Wren, brought diverse The ‘Amateur Sports Grounds’ basically consisted of two entertainment to the venue. ovals - one that was rough and ready and the other with Although the VFL’s desire to make the ground the cycle track around its perimeter. World War I put an a home for football failed to eventuate, the Motordrome end to further development and little was done to improve hosted three VFA Grand Finals (1925-27) and in 1932 the area’s facilities for some time. Melbourne played three home games as the MCG was being resurfaced. Some events took a comedic turn; racing ostriches were imported from South Australia in December 1926 but in Tearing around the 48 degree banks what newspaper The Argus labelled ‘a complete fiasco’, the confused and terrified beasts (with cardboard cut-out A site for the recreation convenience and amusement at over 80 miles per hour with no brakes ‘jockeys’) wandered aimlessly, scampered in all directions of people and as a children’s playground. was a recipe for death and serious injury. or simply stood stupefied. While 25,000 fans surged to their feet, 1923 roaring applause, Maughan hugged the 1920s - 1930s wide red danger-line in the track’s centre. Bryant was above him on the steep bank and Wassall higher still, right under the In 1928 a flat 494 yard dirt speedway track was added overhanging safety lip. As the three riders to the ‘Drome. In the same year the world’s richest sped shoulder to shoulder at 84 mph, professional footrace, ‘The Melbourne Thousand’, Motordrome Death Toll was first won by star footballer Austin Robertson. Maughan and Bryant bumped lightly. Various racing was also interspersed with boxing Then, suddenly the three speedsters piled Alec Staig • 28 February 1925 and wrestling bouts. ‘The Murderdome’ up in one of the most dramatic smashes Allan Bunning • 02 March 1925 ever seen on a Victorian speedway. Cycling also became popular as the Great Depression Formed in 1923, Melbourne Carnivals ‘saucer’ track primarily tested the courage Charles Grigg • 24 April 1926 took hold; legendary rider Sir Hubert Opperman taking Maughan miraculously suffered developed and leased the site until the of intrepid motorbike and sidecar racers. George Goldsmith & William Bell advantage of the long track to achieve motor-paced only abrasions, Bryant’s hand was conclusion of World War II, opening the Chief promoter Jack Campbell enticed (young spectators) • 09 February 1929 world record feats. ‘Melbourne Motordrome’, otherwise known the best ‘professional wheel racers’ from badly torn. But Wassall, one of Reg Moloney • 16 February 1930 as ‘The Murderdome’, on 13 December the USA, regularly drawing crowds in the Image donated by Australia’s most brilliant racing 1924 at a cost of £30,000. The concrete region of 20-30,000. Garry Baker. cyclists, was dead by the next morning. Jimmy Wassall • 02 January 1932 World War II claims Speedway Speedway meetings occurred regularly on Saturday nights Motordrome makes way for Speedway until the Australian Imperial Force assumed control of An untenable safety record saw the Olympic Park in 1940. The penultimate Speedway meeting Motordrome dismantled after its last was held in June 1941. meeting in 1933. The new Olympic Park Adjacent to the Speedway, the Swan Street Army Depot Speedway hosted ‘more modern’ dirt was built in 1935 and primarily served the Royal Australian racing such as popular midget cars Engineers until its closure in 1991. promoted by Richard Lean Snr. It was also the first application of the name ‘Olympic Park’ to the area. It was said to better reflect the usage of the venue than the ‘Amateur Sports Grounds’. It may have lacked logic but it was prophetic! 1934 1935 1938 1941 1946 Amateur Sports Grounds, Football returned on 30 March 1935 including Olympic Park Speedway. Olympic Park Speedway closes when the first floodlit game between After one final turn in April 1946 in aid 1934 Grand Finalists Richmond of St Vincent’s Hospital, continued and South Melbourne drew 25,000 petrol rationing spelled the death spectators (an incredulous Jack Dyer knell for the speedway in the aftermath walked to the ground, unable to board of World War II. The venue met with the packed trams). Midget car races the wrecking ball in 1946 but few local entertained the crowd in the breaks. residents lamented the demise of the Amid allegations of impropriety, Wren noisy motorsports. nearly closed a deal for Richmond to relocate to Olympic Park. Motordrome images donated by Garry Baker. Image donated by Garry Baker. Image donated by Garry Baker. The most incredibly stupid, beautiful, foolish, gentlemanly act I have ever seen. Reverend Alan Moyes, witness. Olympic Games construction begins The Olympic Games transformation saw the building Landy’s sporting gesture of a velodrome and a new 5,500 seat world standard John Landy was Australia’s pre-eminent distance runner, swimming pool. Olympic Park venues would host clocking 4:02.1 in a solo mile in December 1952 at Olympic hockey, cycling, soccer, athletics, diving, Olympic Park. His great rival, Britain’s Roger Bannister, water polo and swimming competitions. famously broke the elusive four minute mile in 1954. 1951 1956 The 1956 Australian Mile Championship at Olympic Park preceded Melbourne’s Games and served as an important selection event. It would become one of Australia’s iconic sporting moments. When emerging youngster Ron Clarke stumbled, Landy (#112) leaped over him but caught Clarke’s arm with his spikes. Landy went back to help Clarke to his feet, then sprinted away to claim the title and his spot in the Olympic team. A statue across the road pays tribute to what Sport Australia Hall of Fame members ranked the third most memorable Australian sporting incident ever. Images reproduced courtesy of Museum Victoria. C2435 Swimming image reproduced courtesy of Museum Victoria. B1962 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games An overriding memory of Melbourne’s Stars of the pool for Australia included Games was the friendly atmosphere, Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp and Murray although one moment of discord occurred Rose, who won three gold medals as when the USSR and Hungary’s political a teenager. All up, at Olympic Park the differences were played out in a water Aussies won eight gold, four silver and polo match marred by violence. two bronze in the pool and a gold and bronze at the velodrome. Water polo, cycling, hockey and diving (B1901) images reproduced with the permission Reproduced with the permission of Public Record Office Victoria B1378(1). Reproduced with the permission of Public Record Office Victoria A930. of the Public Record Office Victoria. ...of the greatest importance architecturally and historically. Chairman of the National Trust, Rodney Davidson Melbourne Sports & Entertainment Centre Round ball sanctuary The Olympic pool was replaced by a parquetry floor in 1983, the 7,200 seat venue becoming the city’s primary During the 1960s Olympic Park entertainment facility. Following the $10.5 million renovation attracted up to 900,000 people annually the Melbourne Sports & Entertainment Centre (known for athletics and soccer. The Victorian as ‘The Glasshouse’), hosted international entertainers Rugby Union competition used the of the calibre of AC/DC and legendary UK band Queen. Eastern Sportsground, as did three The first NBL game at The Glasshouse was a double Victorian Soccer Federation teams. header on 4 April 1984. St Kilda defeated Nunawading The Australian Equestrian Federation and Geelong beat Coburg. held twice yearly championships. 1960 1966 1971 1983 As the only FIFA recognised soccer stadium in Australia, Olympic Park hosted a number of international football matches. Controversial Springbok Tour 1971 In total, Australia played 34 internationals, A crowd of more than 5,000, most of including six World Cup Qualifiers them university students, gathered to at Olympic Park.