Randwick Racecourse Redevelopment

Royal Randwick Racecourse has been established at its current location since a Governor’s decree to sanction a reserve of ground for a new racecourse in January 1833. The first race recorded at Randwick was held in June 1833. Over the next decade, the racecourse developed, with the Australian Jockey Club being formed in 1842.

Over the ensuing century, Royal Randwick Racecourse under the stewardship of the Australian Jockey Club became one of the world’s leading facilities for thoroughbred horse racing, developing the nickname of “the headquarters”. The Queen Elizabeth II Stand was opened in July 1969, and the Paddock Stand in February 1992.

The past thirty years has seen significant changes in the landscape of thoroughbred horse racing around the world. With the advent of technology, changes in the work/life balance, and significant developments in tourism and leisure, racing has needed to change its offer and attraction to survive.

The redevelopment of Royal Randwick Racecourse addressed these changes, developing new flexible facilities which offer a new generation the opportunity to engage with the exciting industry of thoroughbred racing.

This created different types of spaces and offerings on par with the best recreational and leisure facilities within Australia, catering for all age brackets and membership/ public patrons. The redevelopment provided flexible spaces to allow Royal Randwick to compete in other entertainment/corporate markets, assuring that its facilities maximise their potential usage, and in turn assisting in developing a future for racing at Randwick.

Within this development, careful planning ensured that the spaces can be adapted over the next century to changing technology, and patterns of use, as well as being able to seamlessly integrate new facilities within future stages of work.

The ATC recognised that such a facility was needed to create leading environmental credentials for such facilities, adaptable to future changes in technology and thinking. This will be achieved by the careful selection of materials and systems. The construction system and spatial arrangements will allow for a flexibility of change and modernisation as future systems and uses become known.

This development has placed Royal Randwick Spectator facilities as the best in Australia, and amongst the best in the world.