LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
THE imminent closure of the Hazelwood Power Plant will have serious economic effects for the Latrobe Valley, with large jobs losses as a result.
The Latrobe Valley will need all the economic help it can get to try and get as much business investment as possible.
The federal government will finance a number of investment projects for the Latrobe Valley
One way of doing this is to revive the once-proposed Bathurst-style motor race track in the Haunted Hills area in Yallourn North.
In 1997, the first details for a Bathurst-style race track were released, and it was planned to be used for a number of motor sport events.
These included a 1000km supercar endurance race – a sister event to the Bathurst 1000.
The proposed Haunted Hills motor race circuit has similarities to Mount Panorama.
With the exception of the Bryant Park Hillclimb Track, this proposed Bathurst-style motor racing circuit didn’t get the go-ahead because of a lack of funding.
As part of the federal government’s economic stimulus package for the Latrobe Valley, why not build the proposed Haunted Hills motor racing circuit?
Unlike most new motor racing tracks that have to be built completely from scratch, the proposed Haunted Hills circuit is an already existing road that needs to be upgraded to FIA regulations.
This would save millions of dollars in costs, as it wouldn’t need any new road foundations.
There will also be a need to install concrete barriers and to build new pit garage facilities.
If this proposed motor racing circuit was built, it would be of significant economic benefit for the Latrobe Valley.
An annual Australian 1000 Supercar endurance race would generate more than $30 million for the local economy, and that’s not including the other motor sport events it would host.
In the Bathurst, Blayney, Lithgow and Orange Areas of New South Wales, there are a lot of modern-day businesses, and it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in rural New South Wales – and that is largely attributable to the Mount Panorama circuit.
If the Latrobe Valley had a Bathurst-style race track of its own, it could start a new wave of business investment, and in turn, create new jobs and greatly strengthen the local economy.
As part of the federal government’s economic stimulus package for the Latrobe Valley, let’s allocate part of that money to build this proposed Haunted Hills race track.
Maybe the state government could also help with the funding for this motor racing circuit too.
As the Bathurst 1000 is held in October, maybe an Australian 1000 could be held in April or May.
If the Haunted Hills circuit does get the go-ahead and is built, why not call it Road Australia?
