THE site of Melbourne’s original Australian Grand Prix circuit is slated to hit the market, with RAAF Base Point Cook set to be divested as part of a widespread sell-off of Australian Government Defence properties.
The site on the shores of Port Phillip Bay is the spiritual home of the RAAF.
Founded at the outbreak of World War I and still used as a training base, it is one of the longest-operational military aerodromes in the world.
Today, alongside hosting the 21 Squadron and the 100 Squadron Operation Historic Display Aircraft, Point Cook is home to the impressive RAAF Museum.
Outside aviation, the base hosted the 1948 Australian Grand Prix, the 13th race in the series, following the original Phillip Island road course, seaside Victor Harbour in South Australia, Mount Panorama Bathurst, and the giant Loebethal in South Australia.
Importantly, the event was the first local GP not contested on public roads, with the base the ideal venue to help motorsport get back up and running post-World War II, leading to numerous military airfields being converted for motorsport use.
Interestingly, the layout of the runways and taxiways used during the Grand Prix essentially remains unchanged to this day, with the Light Car Club of Australia designing a pancake flat 3.85km circuit.
The compact track layout was also revolutionary at the time, when long straights dominated most early circuits.
Contested on Australia Day, a massive crowd endured blistering temperatures on the shade-free airfield.
The race was won by New Zealand-born Frank Pratt in an 11-year-old BMW 328, with the race his first outside of a semi-social grass hillclimb near Geelong.
Perhaps the most interesting entry in the race, and maybe in the long history of the AGP, was Cec Warren’s Morgan, which was not only the first and only three-wheeler to compete in the event, but it was also the last ever entry to carry a riding mechanic!
The race featured many luminaries of the time, including Alec Mildren, Bill Patterson, Doug Whiteford, Lex Davison, Tom Sulman, Tony Gaze and 1949 AGP victor John Crouch.
Ultimately, the Grand Prix was the only motorsport event to be held at the base, with nearby Fisherman’s Bend hosting events from 1948 to ’60, Cherry Lake from 1954 to ’55, while Albert Park was originally used from 1953 to ’58, before being revived for the World Drivers’ Championship in 1996.
Point Cook’s sale is amongst 67 properties tabbed for potential sale, which could potentially earn the ADF $1.8 billion.
The Undercut – Episode 2 – Previewing the AirTouch 500 at The Bend
Aaron Noonan is once again joined by Jack Perkins and James Moffat to talk Supercars and more on the second episode of The Undercut with thanks to Shell OTR- V8 Sleuth’s look at the world of Supercars, with the angles you don’t and won’t get anywhere else, with the analysis and numbers to back them up.