New WA Track Hits Hurdles
A $100 million motorsport facility in Western Australia has seemingly hit the skids, with the Club Moolia block recently appearing on the real estate market while the development has also headed to the courts.
Located an hour north of the Perth CBD, or 45min from Wanneroo Raceway in rural Bindoon, the venue was set to feature premium facilities, including a 4.1km long, 17 turn FIA approved Formula One-inspired racetrack, a lagoon designed by Crystal Lagoons®, and a first-class sports academy for tennis and motorsport.
With a target market extending from Australia to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, membership access to Club Moolia was marketed at various tiers between $30,000 and $150,000.
Since then, however, the wheels have seemingly fallen off the project, with WA Sotheby’s International Realty recently listing the 1,241-ha property for sale.
The listing claimed that the 5km long racetrack is two-thirds completed, which elsewhere is noted as earlier being signed off by the WA Government.
Other potential uses for the block include its significant 60,000 kiloliter water allocation, cropping potential, carbon farming, solar farming and more.
You can view the full listing here, although property.com notes that the plot has been withdrawn from sale.
Elsewhere, the Club Moolia website is no longer live, and its social media accounts have switched to private.
The West Business section of The West Australian newspaper has also shone a light on legal issues facing the development:
Local contractor Menzies Civil demobilized from the site a couple of months ago, according to a writ filed in WA’s Supreme Court, and is pushing its case for payment of $2.8mil it claims to be owned under contracts it allegedly struck with development entity CM Luxury Pty Ltd, from late November 2021.
Landowner Claire Davis Company has also been named as a defendant in the writ.
According to the writ, Menzies claims it provided civil and earthworks services for the lagoon and racetrack between January 2022 and December 2022.
Menzies has alleged both defendants were unjustly enriched as a result of those works – claimed by the contractor to have been delivered on time and without defects – and is seeking payment and damages through the court.
Some of the projects in the west that have fallen by the wayside include a $30 million facility near Perth Airport, which launched in 2001, which was mooted to host Formula Nippon, various street circuits near the downtown area and Freemantle, a significant redevelopment at Wanneroo from 2020, plus “The Track”, which was to be located near Keysbrook.
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.
