Wentworth Park
Wentwork Park | |
---|---|
Wentworth Park Greyhounds | |
sports ground | |
Coordinates | 33°52′31″S 151°11′31″E / 33.875288°S 151.191915°E |
Created | 1882 |
Etymology | William Wentworth |
Owned by | City of Sydney – NSW Government |
Administered by | Simon Spicer |
Open | Open 24hrs |
Status | Open all year |
Designation | Partially Heritage Listed |
Parking | Carpark & Street Parking |
Connecting transport | Bus |
Facilities | Sports Grounds, Toilet & Changeroom Facilities. |
Website | https://www.gbota.com.au/wentworth-park |
Wentworth Park is a park near the suburbs of Glebe and Ultimo in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The park contains several muti-purpose sporting pitches, cricket nets and a number of fitness installations. There is a playground in the southern area of the park and seating for picnics. Public toilets are next to the sports field.
In the centre of the park is the Wentworth Park Sporting Complex.
History
Wentworth Park was initially a creek and swamp, known from the 1830s as Blackwattle Cove Swamp. Between the 1830s and 1860s, various toxic industries were established along the shore, including, in particular,
Infilling of the creek and head of the swamp commenced in 1876 and continued until 1880. Silt dredged from Sydney Harbour was used to carry out the process and numerous sea walls and dykes were constructed as part of the program. When the area was filled, trustees were appointed to manage the new park and a competition was announced to design the new facility. After numerous complaints regarding the management of the competition, the construction commenced and by 1882 opinion had turned favourably to the new ovals, greens, paths, lakes and other facilities offered in the park, named in honour of William Wentworth.[1]
Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the park came to serve as a focus for community activities including concerts, celebrations, moving pictures and in particular the home of Glebe Dirty Reds and sport in general. During the
The commencement of hostilities for
As a sporting venue
Wentworth Park was originally a rugby league sports ground in the
From 1928 until 1936, Wentworth Park was also used as a speedway and was known as Wentworth Speedway. The first racing took place on 21 April 1928 and continued until 28 November 1936. Motorcycle speedway was the first category to use the venue, with competitors including future Speedway World Champions Lionel Van Praag and Bluey Wilkinson. Wentworth Park was the site of Sydney's first ever Speedcar race on 5 October 1935. The final speedway meeting was to have taken place on 5 December 1936, but track damage and noise complaints saw the meeting cancelled.[6]
During July 1938 the government granted a second greyhound racing licence (consisting of 26 fixtures) for Wentworth Park.[7] Although the licence was granted in July 1938 it was not until Saturday 28 October 1939 that the new track opened. The opening had been delayed due to the construction of the track taking longer than expected.[8]
Sporting Complex
Wentworth Park Greyhounds | |
NSW State League Division 1 ) (2013–present)NSW Greyhound Breeders Owners & Trainers Association (1932–present) | |
Website | |
---|---|
https://www.gbota.com.au/wentworth-park |
Wentworth Park Sporting Complex is a multi-purpose
Greyhound racing began at Wentworth Park in October 1932.[1] It is conducted at Wentworth Park on Wednesday and Saturday nights as well as some special events. Greyhound races are conducted over 520 and 720 metres (1,706 and 2,362 ft). The track is a sand surface having been converted from grass in the 1990s. Hurdle racing was a feature of Wentworth Park until the early 1980s. It fell away and annual events were held in December for a number of years until the mid-1990s.
The nearby
Tenants to the Wentworth Park complex include Janison Exam Management (formerly Language Testing Consultants (LTC)[10]), The New South Wales Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association (NSW GBOTA),[11] Equilibrium Climatec Joint Venture, Kane Constructions and Traino Australia.
The infield oval is used by local schools and charity groups as well other community sporting groups for sporting events.
Since the 1980s, The New South Wales Greyhound Owners Breeders and Trainers Association (NSW GBOTA) has been the primary license holder of Wentworth Park (previously sharing with the now defunct NSW National Coursing Association Club).[12] Greyhound racing is held at the venue every Wednesday and Saturday nights from 7.00pm.[13] The biggest event of the year at Wentworth Park is the TAB Million Dollar Chase with the winner of the race going home with $A1,000,000. The event also has a strong focus on the welfare side of the industry, with 100% of all entry fees donated to the GRNSW charity, Greyhounds as Pets, to help with re-homing of greyhounds after their racing careers. The other major event is the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg which provides prize money of A$1,000,000 across the Easter carnival. The Carnival attracts approximately 2,500 racegoers. The final night is held annually on Easter Saturday.
On 5 January 2018, it was announced that the Glebe Dirty Reds would return to Wentworth Park to play pre-season games which would be the first time that rugby league has been played there in 90 years. The matches also featured
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "History of Wentworth Park". Park histories. City of Sydney. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "FOOTBALL". The Sydney Mail And New South Wales Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 20 July 1910. p. 54.
- ^ "GLEBE EX. CLUB JETTISONED". The Referee. New South Wales, Australia. 13 November 1929. p. 15.
- ^ "RUGBY LEAGUE". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 4 May 1931. p. 14.
- ^ "RUGBY LEAGUE". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 5 May 1931. p. 13.
- ^ "Wentworth Speedway". Vintage Speedway.
- The Maitland Daily Mercury. No. 20, 988. New South Wales, Australia. 21 July 1938. p. 9. Retrieved 24 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "WENTWORTH PARK'S OPENING". The Sun. No. 9304. New South Wales, Australia. 28 October 1939. p. 7 (LAST RACE ALL DETAILS). Retrieved 25 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Attending exams: UTS". University of Technology Sydney. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Exam Management Services". Janison. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Our Clients". Wentworth Park Sporting Complex. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "History". Greyhound Breeders Owners & Trainers Association. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ Times and Location Wentworth Park Greyhoundsa
- ^ "Rugby League set to return to Wentworth Park for the first time in". Daily Telegraph. Australia. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Jason Garlick on taking the reins of Glebe Dirty Reds". Daily Telegraph. Australia. 25 May 2018.
- ^ "The Dirty Reds are coming home on Feb 17". dirtyreds.com.au.
- ^ "Wild weather floods Wentworth Park forcing changes in NSW Cup, Ron Massey Cup, Jersey Flegg and Sydney Shield". www.codesports.com.au.
External links
- Official website
- Whitaker, Anne-Maree (2008). "Wentworth Park". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 29 September 2015. [CC-By-SA]