Mount Panorama Campground to be Repurposed
There’s a new twist in the ongoing saga of development at Mount Panorama, with a greyhound racing facility being proposed for land that is currently utilised as a campground near The Chase section of the famed circuit.
The subject of a Greyhound Racing Centre of Excellence has been bouncing around the New South Wales political scene for some time, with both Bathurst and nearby Orange putting their hand up to be home to the proposed $15 million facility.
Bathurst has been left without a greyhound track since severe flooding in November 2022 destroyed the previous facility at Kennerson Park.
Yesterday, WIN News reported that Greyhound Racing New South Wales officials were given a tour of Bathurst’s proposed site, with the vision clearly showing the camping area at the bottom of the hill.
Last month, the area was packed with campers.
All told, camping for the Repco Bathurst 1000 sold out in record time – following renewals, the remaining sites were snapped up in only 90 minutes.
Mount Panorama has long been mooted as the home of various additional pieces of infrastructure alongside the main race circuit, with the Bathurst Regional Council controlling vast tracts of land around the precinct.
In times past, the possibility of a second track at the bottom of the hill was floated, utilising the existing state-of-the-art garage facility, however, the proximity of this to the city’s residential areas, plus the disruption to residents, saw the proposal never leave the drawing board.
Similarly, a more recent plan to build a second circuit on the far side of Mount Panorama has to this day come to naught, ditto plans to build a go-kart track, which was initially set for McPhillamy Park, with the old drive-in theatre near The Chase noted as another possible location for the facility.
The slopes of Mount Panorama are already home to an impressive harness racing facility, with a venue that opened in 2014 on College Road, which runs parallel to Conrod Straight.
On-track action for this weekend’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst International gets underway on Friday.
Mark Walker (administrator)
A vastly experienced Motorsport Public Relations operator, journalist, commentator and photographer, Mark brings his unique angle to The Race Torque in both words and imagery. As well as serving as our key photographer on the ground at major events around Australia (and overseas), Walker will often chime in with his unique and pin-point sharp viewpoint of the racing world via the keyboard too.
