I had a big smile on my face and I was feeling exuberant while whizzing around a historic grass-covered track. The course was still damp from the previous day’s rain, and more clouds threatened. Despite that, I was having a natural high because this abandoned course was still usable over 130 years after it was made, and I was using it. I was riding my Trek Checkpoint SL6 gravel bike around the old Corunna Point Velodrome and loving it.
Group of men preparing for a bicycle race, Tilba Tilba, New South Wales
Source: National Library of Australia
According to the information board the local community created the velodrome back in 1892 using a horse and a scoop. The June 2018 edition of the Journal of the Moruya and District Historical Society provides this detail of a race on the track:
“There were 17 starters for the Corunna handicap, which was a 1 mile event. Unfortunately for Moruya F. Luck (from Kiora), Moruya’s favourite, broke his pedal strap while riding well in the second heat. E. Hennings and R. Zeigler from Moruya were also in the event.2 The fastest time in the heats was 2 minutes 35 seconds. The winner of the event was C. Bown from Dignams Creek.”
The historic picture from the National Library of Australia plus the mention of heats in the quote above show that these races were well supported from what was a sparsely populated area in the early 1900s.
Today, the trail is marked by well-cut grass making a roughly oval shape. There was at least one boggy bit of the track on the day that I rode and it was also a bit bumpy in places. Across from where the information sign was there was the remains of a built up tack section that could have been a berm, not that I was going fast enough to need it. Regardless of the trail quality, it was a great idea that this track has been preserved in a way that allows bike riders to cycle on it. It was a fun way to connect with a historic site that was probably a key social hub back in an earlier, less technologically connected time.
Billy’s Beach
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 1000, 40mm, f/14 and 1/80 SEC])
The easiest way of getting there is to turn into the Mystery Bay Council Camp Ground and follow the dirt road until it finishes. You will then find an information board about the walk along the coast and the entrance beside it. The trail is bike friendly, for gravel and mountain bikes, although it may be easier to dismount for crossing over the small but picturesque Billy’s Beach.
On the trail to the velodrome
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 2500, 40mm, f/10 and 1/60 SEC])
The trail continues form the back of Billy’s Beach through a bushy patch. However, the trail is clearly visible because it is well mown and the trail is reasonably straight. I would recommend following the trail that sticks along the coast because there is a small lookout that provides a nice view over the coast. This trail will bring you to the velodrome facing the information board.
The velodrome
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 1000, 40mm, f/10 and 1/100 SEC])
When I arrived at the velodrome I had a quick read of the sign but you haven’t been to a location if you don’t have multiple photographs so out with the camera. Once I had collected the imagery evidence it was time to ride the track. I would classify this as a track rather than a velodrome now, just in case the image of one of those olympic-style bike arenas leaps to mind.
It was an easy track to follow, and it passed by low, coastal scrub for most of the ride, except for one length that gave a view onto a local farming paddock.
I followed a counter-clockwise direction and took the first lap slowly because I didn’t know what the track was actually like. Approaching one area I could see that for a couple of metres the ground looked boggy so I kept to the outside line and easily passed by. Coming back round towards the sign board I quickened my pace. I wasn’t racing but I thought I would ride a second lap a little faster. Also, by riding a second lap I would ensure that Strava would register a personal record for the lap around the velodrome. Yes, somebody has created this track as a segment on Strava, and I am glad they have done so. What a great segment to have recorded on a rider’s Strava record. The second lap was faster than the first, although I think it would not have impressed those riders competing in that 1903 race, I was well off the pace.
If anybody reading this wants to ride the track, the location is available through the links below.
The ride on Trail Forks
The ride on Komoot
I had a big smile on my face during the ride, despite the overcast skies. I had set out early that morning from Narooma cycling south along the old highway with the plan to ride on the old velodrome. It was a fun experience and I felt like I had connected to a much earlier time in Australia. I am sure the track would have been a fun diversion for the local community and it was in a scenic location close to the sea. While it may just be a grass track now it was still fun to ride. It also provides a link back to a different time and its abandoned nature reminds us of the constant change around us. Definitely worth a ride.