Maroubra Speedway, officially known as Olympia Motor Speedway was a

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...

venue in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia and was reported to have had a capacity of 70,000.

Opening

It officially opened with its first meeting on Saturday, 5 December 1925, Among the competitors on that first evening were two women: Marie Jenkins, of Melbourne, in a Brecia Bugatti, and Mrs. J.A.S. Jones, of Lithgow, in a Crossley Sports. At the speedway's third meeting, on Saturday, 2 January 1926, Jenkins was the first woman to win a final race -- i.e., rather than just a heat -- at the speedway.

The Olympia Motor Speedway

The 1 mile banked concrete bowl was the scene of some large and successful race meetings before a decline in attendances saw the track close in 1927, but reopened many times in the 1930s. Despite the banking being too steep to walk up, it was still not enough for the speeds achieved, and four competitors lost their lives going over the top of banking. Three others also died at the circuit, two of whom were motorcyclists. The sensationalist

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

of the day dubbed it a "killer track" which did little to improve the fortunes of the venue. The speedway continued to operate sporadically in the 1930s but the meetings were not the large affairs held previously. The track was used for club days, practice, and record attempts; and was also used for testing.

Demolition

By the 1940s the track was crumbling due to flooding and poor quality concrete. In 1947, it was demolished, and a (1,100 dwelling) housing commission suburb was built on the site, with a park, named Coral Sea Park, developed in what had once been the infield area. Streets in the new area — e.g., Astoria Circuit ( USS ''Astoria''), Chicago Avenue ( USS ''Chicago''), Lexington Place ( USS ''Lexington''), Morris Place ( USS ''Morris''), Neosho Way ( USS ''Neosho''), Perkins Street ( USS ''Perkins''), Sims Lane and Sims Grove ( USS ''Sims'') — were named after Allied ships that had been engaged in the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

.Randwick City Council: Historic Street & Place Names.
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Footnotes

References

70,000 Spectators were Thrilled at Opening of Sydney's New Speedway, ''The Sporting Globe'', (Wednesday, 9 December 1925), p.11

Racing Motors: Opening of Maroubra Speedway, ''The (Sydney) Sun'', (Sunday, 6 December 1925), p.8.

Motoring and Engineering: Maroubra Speedway.—Great Opening Meeting, ''The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate'', (Fri, 11 December 1925), p.11.
* Goldsmith, Heather, ''A Maroubra Speedway Scrap Book: A Miscellany of Stories, Photographs and Details of Sydney's Spectacular, but Tragically Short-Lived Motor Racing Circuit 1926-1936'', Bol d'Or Publishing, (Leura), 2017.

External links

Defunct speedway venues in Australia Sports venues in Sydney Sports venues completed in 1925 Sports venues demolished in 1947 Demolished buildings and structures in New South Wales Maroubra, New South Wales Demolished sports venues {{NewSouthWales-struct-stub