Flemington Racecourse History

The first racing facilities in Melbourne bore no resemblance to the massive grandstands and world class facilities enjoyed by Melbourne Cup racegoers today. In the early days of horseracing in Melbourne races were held on Batman Hill, before being moved to the Melbourne Saltwater Flat.

Then, in the 1840s racing was moved to an area of land used by local butcher Robert Fleming. The first facilities erected during these early days of Flemington Racecourse history were very rudimentary, and interest in horseracing soon saw the clutter around the racecourse increase until it took the unofficial name ‘Fleming Town’.

Some claim that Flemington Racecourse had no connection at all with Robert Fleming, and that the racecourse had, instead, been named after the birthplace of the wife of local hotelier James Watson, who allowed an access road to Melbourne’s most popular racetrack to cross through his property.

In 1948 the Victoria Turf Club leased the land at Fleming Town to hold races. With a more central position, Flemington Racecourse soon became the destination of choice for Melbourne’s punters, many of whom had pockets lined by the spoils of the gold rush in the area.

With money coming into the coffers of the Victoria Turf Club, and racing ever more in demand in Melbourne the future of Flemington Racecourse was assured. 1861 the course hosted the first ever Melbourne Cup, thereby entrenching its position as the home of thoroughbred horseracing in Australia.

The early 1900s saw the first serious round of development in Flemington Racecourse history. The secretary of the Victoria Racing Club introduced training facilities to Flemington Racecourse, and by 1925 the first modern grandstand had been erected in the for of the Old Member’s Stand.

The next major development as Flemington Racecourse was concluded in the 1970s when the Hill Stand grandstand was erected opposite the Old Members Stand, providing racegoers with an excellent view of the finishing post. The Hill Stand was later renovated to make space for stalls to house race competitors.

Since the turn of the millennium Flemington Racecourse history has entered a new era. A major redevelopment program has included work on the quality of the turf and layout of the racetrack, as well as a massive investment in a new grandstand.