The Lake Mac Heritage Series was placed to pay homage to the people, places and events that contributed to building and pioneering the Lake Macquarie region. The pick and shovel were chosen in this geoart series to symbolise the hard work the people of Lake Macquarie put forth into the region.

Salty Creek Speedway

Hidden away in the quiet back streets of Edgeworth, are the remains of a major sporting venue which operated over three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s.This little known site is a piece of Lake Macquarie history which drew hundreds of visitors on race days, and was the venue for championship races and international events in it's heyday.

History of speedway racing in NSW

Since mass production of motorcycles began in the early 1900s, people have been racing the machines. The use of motorbikes increased greatly during World War 1, as these vehicles were an invaluable means of transport in the field. After the war the everyday use of the motorcycle grew, and the 1920s saw motorcycles become common place. Motorcycle enthusiast clubs became established, and formalised racing became a popular sport. Speedway racing (racing around a track) was the first form of competition to be organised in a professional manner. In 1928, the Auto Cycle Council of Australia was formed to represent the interests of motorcycle clubs and state associations at a national level. Although world famous tracks such as the Sydney Showground and West Maitland in NSW opened during the 1920s, much racing was done on local amateur short circuit tracks which were often little more than bush paddocks or vacant blocks in suburban areas. This was the situation for a number of years and caused growing concerns about the safety of riders, spectators and the public. This situation was to change in 1957 with the passing of amendments to the Metropolitan Traffic Act, and the Motor Traffic Act. Among other things, these amendments formalised the definition of what constituted a speedway, set rules for speedway meetings and introduced compulsory licensing conditions. Most existing tracks did not comply, and as a result many closed while others had to drastically upgrade their conditions over the 16 month implementation period.

The puzzle

All historical and heritage information courtesy of Lake Mac Libraries

Any questions regarding this puzzle cache or the LMHS geoart series will be answered by clicking HERE

*** The LMHS geoart was placed in conjunction with the OzGeoMuster 2018 mega event. The OzGeoMuster 2018 committee would like to thank the following people for their contribution to this series. ahomburg, day1976, sedgwickDave, The Morris, bobbiesgirl, and the_garbageman.***

Enjoy!

Marcus Vitruvius