One of Australia’s oldest harness racing clubs is embarking on a major recovery project after its 804-metre circuit was completely covered with water in a Christmas Day deluge.
More than 120 millimetres of rainfall was dumped in under 24 hours at Wedderburn, north of Bendigo.
Club President Bruce Hargreaves, who has lived in Wedderburn for most of his life, said a huge amount of damage was done to the track surface, with widespread scouring leaving gutters several inches deep.
“The rain just kept pelting down and a lot of the water was local from run-off, although a bit did come down from some of the hills,” Hargreaves said.
“The Nardoo creek also got up that high it breached the bank just past the finish line and filled up the inside area. It’s only the second time that has happened,” he said.
“I remember a similar rainstorm happening back in 1974, which probably washed the track out a lot worse than this time. The water was up to the height of the inside running rail and people got out there in kayaks paddling about. There was another in 1982, which was a pretty big one.”
The Wedderburn Harness Racing Club was founded in 1885 and originally raced at the present golf course. It moved to Donaldson Park in 1958, which it now shares with football, hockey and netball. A new $3.9M multipurpose sporting complex was first discussed about 10 years ago and work started in September of last year.
Hargreaves said that with the new complex still being completed, it was a blessing that a decision was made months ago to defer the resumption of racing at Wedderburn to the 2025 season.
“Our actual building is completed with the kitchen, cool room, lighting and a main function room, which is just back from the finish post, all ready to go. There’s a four-metre verandah where the general public will be able to stand and watch the racing, and that’s all complete,” he said.
“But it’s external projects like a huge amount of landscaping and disability access that have fallen behind. We had wet weather about two months ago and some other problems that slowed work down – we lost a bit of momentum then and things slipped behind.
“We decided it was cutting it too fine, with the work that needed to be done, so we pulled the pin on trying to hold our two meetings in the New Year. The first would have been our Cups meeting on January 28 and it is being held at Maryborough. They have been just great in looking after us.
“A community fundraiser has been going for quite a few years and all the user groups have put in as well as Federal and State Governments and the Loddon Shire Council. We also got a helping hand from Sport and Recreation and Harness Racing Victoria.
“We only conduct two meetings each year, but we are looking toward 2025 with a great deal of excitement.”