Ascot Racecourse is a former racecourse in the southern

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of

Mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

, close to the Mascot Aerodrome. It was named after Royal Ascot Racecourse in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. It is now part of the site of Sydney Airport. It operated from 1904 to 1941, and was one of four racecourses in Sydney where unregistered proprietary horse racing took place. Large crowds were moved to and from the racecourse by a dedicated tramline from Botany Road.Timmony, P
Handling Heavy Traffic on Special Occasions
6 February 1934, from ''Action For Public Transport''. The first aeroplane flight over Sydney was made from Ascot Racecourse on 5 May 1911, by J.J. Hammond in his Boxkite plane.Sydney Airport Environment 2006-2010
The racecourse closed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when it was used as a

military camp A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent military base, for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large cam ...

. It did not reopen after the war, and was demolished as part of expansion works for Sydney Airport. The only surviving physical evidence of the racecourse are fifteen fig trees which formerly lined the racecourse entrance. These trees are located near the airport's long-term carpark, and are the subject of heritage preservation.

References

Sports venues in Sydney Former buildings and structures in Sydney 1904 establishments in Australia 1941 disestablishments in Australia Sports venues completed in 1904 {{horseracing-venue-stub

See also

References