Thought it might be a nice way to end this thread by providing a listing of all the past and present velodromes and/or bicycle related sites in Sydney - built between 1900 to present. This info was largely (not entirely) lifted from the following website, but edited to give it a velo perspective:
http://www.secretsofasydneypast.com/200 ... -even.html
1. Sydney Sports ground - pushbikes raced here on a large, shallowly banked outdoor velodrome until about WW2; also speedway cars and motorbikes.
2. Centennial Park - a great training Mecca for cyclists, used for road cycle racing on a variety of circuits over the years, it featured also in the 2000 Olympics with both road cycling and the individual road time trial
3. Parramatta Park, another excellent road course for cycle racing, was also used for car racing in the 1950s, until common sense presumably prevailed
4. Henson Park, Marrickville - an old quarry converted into a large outdoor velodrome around 1930, regularly hosting 30,000 spectators on a Saturday night. Replaced in the early 1970s with a steeply-sided (45 degree, 250m) concrete velodrome at...
5. Camperdown, built in or around 1970 in an old quarry/tip, now residential, semi-replaced (how could it truly be replaced?) by...
6. Tempe (Canterbury) Velodrome, a 330m concrete track for track racing, built around 1983 in twinship with the Chandler velodrome in Brisbane to replace...
7. Wiley Park, a decent sort of banked bike track that fell victim to road widening (King George's Rd) in the early 1980s. Remnant banking still exists. But all of these velodromes are overshadowed by the...
8. Dunc Gray Olympic Indoor Velodrome, Bass Hill, a timber track purpose built for the 2000 Olympics
9. Complete with a criterium track next door, added post-Olympics.
10. Not too far away is Hurstville Oval, a well-maintained saucer-type velodrome for track-bike racing that quaintly encircles a cricket pitch
11. Several criterium tracks also exist in Hurstville, notably one around Oatley Park (used by St George club for many years)
12. and the purpose-built tracks in Kempt Field
13. and Olds Park, both used for the sadly-defunct Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic
14. Not far away from Hurstville is another purpose-built criterium track for bike racing at Waratah Park, Sutherland, used by the Sutherland Cycling Club. Watch out for the big dipper on the long circuit, it's a hairy turn at the bottom
15. And yet another excellent crit track exists at Lansdowne Park, near Bankstown, a fast and twisty track with a steepish rise to the downhill finish
16. Merrylands Oval, a slightly-less-picturesque but functional saucer velodrome that was home for the McGee brothers for many years
17. Lidcombe Oval, even-less-picturesque saucer velodrome with a sharper than expected left turn after the finish
18. Blacktown Oval - a crit course for bicycle racing with a big tree to dodge on the left and a short and hard-braking area immediately after the sprint. If you don't brake hard you end up in the street
19. Bondi promenade, yes that Bondi, was used as a bicycle racing venue (from the 1940s, or earlier?) until increasing traffic pushed the racing out to Bunnerong Road in the 1960s, until finally a dedicated circuit was built in the 1970s at...
20. Heffron Park, Maroubra. An old military base complete with Nissen huts and long strips of hardstanding concrete (said to be for tanks), Heffron is spiritual home to the Randwick Botany Club
21. There's also an Olympic rowing course at Penrith with an access road that's now used for road racing and time trials
22. And an Olympic Mountain bike course at Fairfield