Tracks in Time
Mount Kembla
No single factor had a bigger impact on the sport in New South Wales than the infamous Speedway Control Bill which came into force on April 2nd, 1959. Overnight, circuits that had existed in peace and harmony for decades were wiped out, and nowhere was the blow felt keener than in Scrambles, which were in the process of morphing into Moto Cross.
Previously, all that was required was a paddock, a few ropes and perhaps some bunting. Now, all tracks in the state were required to meet the same standards as high speed motor racing tracks, or oval speedways, and that meant the erection of substantial timber safety fences and severely restricted areas for spectators.
Scrambles tracks, which were often marked out on the day and changed to avoid over-use, were required to be licenced for a given layout. Ironically, the first circuit to be licenced under the new Act was the Sydney Showground Speedway, the scene of several accidents that had led to the bill’s implementation, followed by Salty Creek Short Circuit in Newcastle and the Moorebank Scrambles circuit, but only after extensive work. Until the short-lived Amaroo Park scrambles track opened in 1962 (and closed in 1964), Moorebank was the only licenced scrambles track in the state. This situation did not sit well with the scores of competitors, but few clubs had the wherewithal to do anything about it.
One club that chose to take a stance was Wollongong MCC, and by 1963 the hunt was on for property suitable for the construction of a circuit. Graeme Bartholomew recalls the process that resulted in the creation of the Mount Kembla circuit. “King Bond was Chief Surveyor at BHP and apparently had say over who could use their spare land. Anyway the Wollongong Motorcycle Club used to ring him for permission to hold events on their land; fortunately he had been a club member and was sympathetic and we never got knocked back. He then suggested we choose some of their unused land and lease it; he gave us a list of 4 or 5 options. As I was the current NSW Scramble champion I was given the list to make a choice. I started with the closest one to my home in Mt. Kembla and didn’t bother looking any further. It had enough hills, direct access to Sydney and far enough away from houses noise-wise, and close for me to work on it.”
The land identified was a 23 acre disused mining site known as O’Brien’s Gap in the hills above the city at Mount Kembla, so approaches were made to the owners, Australian Iron & Steel, for a peppercorn lease by the club. Even better, AI & S agreed to donate the land, and the club’s application to Wollongong Council was also viewed favourably. Soon a band of enthusiasts began the hard slog of converting the extremely rugged site, which had a high rainfall
and numerous creeks running through the valleys, into a facility where motorcycle sport could be enjoyed. Members of the working group included Graham Bartholomew, who was also an extremely talented rider, aircraft engineer Andrew Duncan, Bob Keen, Ron Gooley, motorcycle dealer Noel Shipp, Derek Hodgson, Bill Platts, the Van Bockel brothers, prominent sponsor Clem Daniel, and club president Jeff Martin, among many others.
Most of the work was done by hand with machetes and brush saws, but eventually a couple of ancient steelwheeled tractors were donated, making life slightly less strenuous, although no less risky. These old monsters were devoid of much in the way of braking power, and required a worker carrying a stout length of timber to walk beside, ready to shove the length into the spoked wheel if the tractor showed signs of getting away down the steep slopes. Similarly, wheel rolling the many sections of concrete pipe into the crossings for the creeks, a length of timber would be inserted through the pipes (which were generally about three metres long and one metre in diameter. Ropes would then be attached to either end of the timber and run back to the tractor so the pipes could be lowered into position. A feature of the track was what was simply called ‘The Big Hill’, and it sure was big – officially 60 feet but as veteran rider Ray Dole said, “More like 120 feet”. The crown of the hill had a thin layer of soil over rock, and the drop was so steep that the bottom was not visible until you had taken the plunge over the top. With the forces of gravity in control, riders were then confronted with a sharp right kink and another smaller drop to the valley floor; the scene of many a disaster. The majority of the motorcycles used in scrambles at the time were old British machines, devoid of much in the way of suspension or brakes. During construction, the intrepid bulldozer driver took his brakeless monster over the hill, pushing a full load of gravel ahead – the only way to monitor the downward process. It was a hairy piece of terrain, and was abandoned in favour of a less hazardous by pass.
After a few club days to test facilities, the first open meeting took place on 6th March, 1966 after the track had been officially approved by the Chief Secretary for Licencing. The steward for the meeting informed riders that the ‘Big Hill’ would definitely be used, but in the practice sessions the majority refused to take the plunge and the races were run using a narrow ‘bypass’ section adjacent to the hill itself. Star of the day was Laurie Alderton on his 500cc Tribsa who won both the Senior and All Powers classes, with Graeme Bartholomew similarly untouchable in the 250cc events.
What was officially termed the Grand Opening meeting took place on Sunday 15th May, 1966, drawing 56 solo entries and 6 sidecars. Star attraction was Ray Fisher from Victoria, bringing with him his all-conquering Matchless Metisse
A feature of the track was what was simply called ‘The Big Hill’, and it sure was big – officially 60 feet but as veteran rider Ray Dole said, “More like 120 feet”.
and a 250 CZ, accompanied by fellow Victorian Peter Harwood. After a concerted publicity campaign, the club was rewarded with a crowd in excess of 3,000. The official opening was performed by Mr. G. Parish, NSW General Manager of Australian Iron & Steel, with another address by the OIC of Wollongong Police Safety Council, Sgt. W. Louis who said, “This is the place to get rid of your urge for speed with comparative safety to yourself and absolute safety to the public. If you have any ambitions, bring your motorcycle here and test your strength.” Other speakers included Wollongong Mayor Ald. A. Bevan, ACU of NSW president Ray White, and WMCC president Jeff Martin. Martin told the crowd that a children’s play area would soon be constructed to go with the permanent canteen and riders’ change rooms.
As expected, Ray Fisher cleaned up both Unlimited and 250cc classes, with locals Fred Van Bockel and Robin Martin tying for the Non Expert win. Sidecar honours were split between Wal Hambly and Ron Shoemark. At the conclusion of the meeting, spectators were handed a printed copy of the day’s results as they left the circuit. Understandably pleased with their efforts, the club announced three more open meetings for the year, which included the NSW Championships on 4th September. This meeting really demonstrated the talent of young Queenslander Matt Daley, who had taken up residence in Wollongong and was working for Jeff Martin, who supplied him with the latest 250cc Cotton. Daley staged some tremendous battles with speedway star Jim Airy on the 250 CZ owned by Hazell & Moore, and won both 250cc and 350cc titles. Victorian Geoff Taylor won the opening leg of the Senior Championship ahead of Bartholomew on a Cotton fitted with a speedway JAP engine, but fell in leg two handing Graeme the overall win. Wal Hambly took out the Sidecar title and veteran Ray Dole the 125. The success of Mount Kembla was a
A collation of photographs by Merv Whitelaw from the 1967 Australian Scrambles Championship at Mount Kembla.
tremendous shot in the arm for Moto Cross in NSW, fuelling a boom that saw two more circuits opened – Sugarloaf at Wallsend near Newcastle and Bilpin in the Blue Mountains. Wollongong Club could hardly wait to get started for 1967, securing the Australian Championships in October and a round of the ambitious International Scramble Series in November. Just before the first of these meetings however, club president Jeff Martin died suddenly, having just secured a new 250cc Husqvarna for Matt Daley.
For the national titles, run in NSW for the first time since 1961 at Moorebank, the club posted over 2,000 entry forms throughout Australia and received an excellent entry with riders from every state and the ACT. There were many outstanding performances on the day, notably from Ray Fisher who took out the 500cc and Unlimited titles, Matt Daley who won the 250cc and 350cc titles, the South Australian sidecar team of Murray Williams and Herb Castle who won the 500cc championship on an ESO-powered outfit and looked like making it a double in the 1200cc title after winning the first leg on a Triumph Bonneville outfit, only to retire with engine trouble in the second and hand the overall win to top Victorian Ken Adams.
The International Series was largely the brainchild of ex-pat Australian Tim Gibbes who settled in New Zealand after a long international career. Tim put together a series that began at Snake Gully, north of Adelaide on November 12, moved to Christmas Hills near Melbourne the following week, then to Mount Kembla. Despite the depth of talent, the opening leg of the International Challenge went to none other than Matt Daley, leading home Kiwi Morley Shirriffs, Ray Fisher and Husqvarna research engineer Gunnar Lindstrom. Lindstrom downed Daley in the second leg with Welshman John Lewis third on a borrowed 441 BSA.
The third and final round went to Lewis, but Lindstrom and Daley tied for the overall win.
Mount Kembla alternated with the other NSW tracks for the honour of staging the State Motocross Championships and in September 1970 Wollongong MCC again hosted the event. It was a day of non-stop rain with the creek crossings churned into a sea of red mud, but it didn’t stop Terry Gunter from taking out the 250cc and 350cc titles, while veteran Roy Easter, just home after ten years in Europe, claimed the Unlimited Championship on his 600cc Matchless metisse. The 125 title went to young New Zealander Brian Martin on a Hodaka. The state titles became a multi-round affair from 1972, and with the advent of the Mr Motocross Series, initially at Amaroo Park, Mount Kembla faded from the big league. However the circuit continued to play a vital role in the sport, bringing forward a constant stream of top motocross riders, among them Bob
Nicholls, Jens Olsen, and the youngest of the Gunter family, Anthony, who rose to the very top.
The popularity of the Mr Motocross format almost wiped out traditional events, and the NSW Motocross title saw the various classes contested at different tracks. For 1980, Mount Kembla hosted the 250cc Championship, where Stephen Gall claimed the title from South Australian Darryl Willoughby and Victorian Grant Cramer. Seven years later the track again hosted the 250cc Championship, with Craig Dack winning all three legs to finish ahead of Lyndon Heffernan and David Gillan. In June 1991, the club tried a new tack, hosting an event called the South Pacific Classic, which went to Glen Bell from Ben Perese and Anthony Gobert. Later the same year, the third and final round of the state titles took place with the wins going to Mark Kirkman (125), Lee Hogan (250) and Glen Bell (500).
Unlike virtually every other circuit from the ‘sixties, Mount Kembla is still going strong. In 2016 Wollongong Club celebrated a half century of the track at a gala function at the Novotel North Beach in Wollongong, where some of the old stars and officials mingled with the younger generation. Today the venue is known as the Mount Kembla Dirt Bike Complex, which has been constantly developed into a multifunction area catering for beginners as young as 3 years of age, right up to leading stars of the sport. In addition to the main motocross track, a separate area has a less challenging circuit known as the Bush Track, a 65/85cc track for novices and juniors, a 50cc minibike track, a Flat Track, and a 11.5 km Enduro Trail. It’s a far cry for the rugged circuit that was hacked out by hand by a dedicated bunch of enthusiasts, but without Mount Kembla, motocross itself would have struggled to survive in New South Wales, especially after the loss of the Moorebank circuit in 1970.