Yarra Valley Racecourse has been equipped with a weather-proof flooring area thanks to a grant from the Victorian government.
The area will soon have a marquee set up to host more people at year-round events.
Yarra Valley Racing chief executive officer Brett Shambrook said they used the funding to install the concrete slab.
“It’s 51 metres by 23 metres. And the marquees will be put over the top of the concrete slab, so it provides a safe footing for all the public when they come here to use it,” he said.
“From our perspective, we won’t have trip hazards with uneven ground and so forth.
“Heading into an event, if we had wet weather, it just gives us a little bit of security and we’ll still be able to proceed. Customers can come along, still have a good day and be out of the mud or the water.”
Up to 100,000 people attend the racecourse located in Yarra Glen annually, including for racing, markets, rodeos, car shows and school cross-country meets.
This upgrade is anticipated to attract an extra 2500 people to racing events and many more for other events.
The nearly $100,000 worth of government grant under the Regional Customer Facilities Program covered half of the cost of the project, and the local racing club contributed the same amount to increase the capacity and improve the event experience for visitors.
“Without the government assistance, we wouldn’t have been able to proceed with the project,” Mr Shambrook said.
“So I want to expressly thank them for their contribution.
“The state government and the minister for racing, Anthony Carbines, have been very helpful for this club.”
The concrete slab construction was completed in March and the marquee is scheduled to be put up in spring between September and October.
The new multi-functional marquee space also features five draining pits, which will allow the club to recover quickly from any floods.
Racing minister Anthony Carbines said the racing industry generates more than a billion dollars for regional Victoria’s economy and helps sustain more than 9000 local jobs.
“These upgrades will bring more of the community together more often — boosting the number of local events and economic activity,” he said.
