BUNBURY (WA)
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previous years www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/bunbury-blunders-mud-scrambles.html
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1965 - BLICKS RACEWAY
In 1965 the Bunbury Car Club had to leave there Mud Scramble circuit known as Paddy's Blunders as mineral sands mining had commenced in the inner harbour area, with the assistance of many local earthmoving company's. Blicks raceway was built behind the Blicks Caravan Park at Eaton with a back up track at a gravel pit just off Hurst Road near Boyanup. This split level circuit was built with earthmoving machinery loaned from Piacentini's who were working in the area at the time, The reason for the Boyanup circuit was because Blicks Raceway was built on the edge of the Collie River and the area was prone to flooding during high tides. This track was the Bunbury Car Clubs first purpose built hard surface race track.
With hard track racing came many new innovations, ladies and mechanics races, the butchers picnic the last race of the day with all sedans and super modified's competing for the days honours.
An association was formed at this time with the Bunbury Motorcycle Club whose members competed on a regular basis in particular on sidecars.
The track was built by volunteers and with the assistance of local business houses, the track was situated at Pelican Point Eaton on the edge of the Collie river, racing was held on Sundays on low tides, in the event of higher than normal tide's the meeting shifted to Boyanup.
The race track and spectator area was built next to the Blicks Caravan Park and as can be seen in many photos over the river was the Shoalhaven Boat Shed and caravan park.
With the lease due to expire in 1970 and not to be renewed the search was on for a new home for the Bunbury Car Club, Potential sites included a part of the Hay Park Sporting comlex,Farmland off Treendale Road Australind, South West Highway Waterloo and also the current site on the North Boyanup Road.
With hard track racing came many new innovations, ladies and mechanics races, the butchers picnic the last race of the day with all sedans and super modified's competing for the days honours.
An association was formed at this time with the Bunbury Motorcycle Club whose members competed on a regular basis in particular on sidecars.
The track was built by volunteers and with the assistance of local business houses, the track was situated at Pelican Point Eaton on the edge of the Collie river, racing was held on Sundays on low tides, in the event of higher than normal tide's the meeting shifted to Boyanup.
The race track and spectator area was built next to the Blicks Caravan Park and as can be seen in many photos over the river was the Shoalhaven Boat Shed and caravan park.
With the lease due to expire in 1970 and not to be renewed the search was on for a new home for the Bunbury Car Club, Potential sites included a part of the Hay Park Sporting comlex,Farmland off Treendale Road Australind, South West Highway Waterloo and also the current site on the North Boyanup Road.
(Editorial Brian Lee)
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Reg Blicks recalls: In 1959 I purchased a fifty six acre block of land that was bordered by the Collie River, The Estuery and the Old Coast Road, which at the time was the main highway to Perth, Opposite my area of land was a dairy farm owned by Clarry Gibbs, That farm is now Clifton Park, Home of the Bunbury Golf Club and a housing development.
At the time scheme water was not available north of the Collie River, so I had to embark on a long battle to convince the Water Board of the merits of extending there supply pipes to Australind, After trips to Perth and various meeting they decided that the idea did have merit and the only problem being the cost, well it happened and it cost me a lot of money personally.
By 1961 construction on the caravan park had began, The park was a thirty bay site, the ablution blocks were built along with septic tanks, The main building was the old Bowling Clubs building from the Forrest Avenue site, When the Bowling Club decided to build there new brick and morter club house, The timber one had to go, Reg took on the job of removing the timber building and moving it to the caravan site, The building was cut into three sections and trucked buy a cartage contractor who just happened to be in Bunbury to move a house to Kalgoorlie.
In 1965 I was approached by the Bunbury Car Club with the view of building a race track on the edge of the Collie River, My answer was I have more than enough land, go for it, so the raceway was born.
By 1969 I had sold the park to a group of developers who were going have the area rezoned as residential and sell off the lots, The new owners had no interest in having a speedway on there land so the Car Club was forced to move.
Memories if Bunbury facebook Photo feature
1960's - Families crabbing on the Collie River leaving from the jetty at the Blicks Caravan Park.
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Colin Resta and Brian Lee recall: When this new flat hard surface Hot Rod track opened and because the club was transitioning from its mud scramble day's, many of those old cars were initially raced at Blicks. Some like Jimmy Wilsons 1929 Plymouth with the old wooden spoke wheels,rattled around the track on those Sunday's. Colin Resta's Ford convertable ute with the sidevalve V8 in it, Problem was many of these old bangers would overheat at the best of time, the fix was to carry an additional 44 gallons of water in a drum onboard that was plumbed into the cooling system.
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1965 - BLICKS RACEWAY The Cinders
Back in the day it was very common for speedway tracks to be coated in Cinders, the by product of burning coal in steam trains, The committee discussed the idea and it was put into place, As one of our committee members Jim Wilson worked for the railways in the Bunbury Engineering workshop he had the ability to get hold of as much of the product as was needed. The next task was to transport it from the railway yards in town, out the Eaton track next to the Collie river. A man by the name of Tom Coles stepped up with the offer to kart the product free of charge with his truck, and that how it went down.
Brian Kennedy pictorial feature
1965 - Photo's Brian Kennedy collection.
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2009 - BLICKS RACEWAY WALKABOUT
Very little remains of the original race track as the continual tide movements have washed and smoothed over the entire site, the race track area resembles a skid pan as many of the locals have cut up the area during high tide as a form of entertainment.
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2020 - BLICKS RACEWAY WALKABOUT
The entire parcel of land that the caravan park and the hot rod track sat on has been fenced and closed off to the general public, the only way to access the area is by the river or the estuary.
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2005 - BLICKS RACEWAY LOCATION SLIDESHOW
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2017 - REG BLICKS THE LANDLORD
