Hanson Reserve

Hanson Reserve at Woodville Gardens has always been our home and it has gone through a number of facelifts over its time – not always beneficial!

KCC has always been the tenant at Hanson Reserve and contributed much to the on-going maintenance and use of the track with significant contributions made through club fundraising…

Woodville Track Reconditioning (By Wheelman)
“It has been decided to recondition the Kilkenny Club’s track at Woodville Park Oval during the road racing season. With that object in view, Mr R. Douglas, a St. John Ambulance officer, who is also a member of the Kilkenny Club, organised a successful dance in the Railway Institute Hall, at which there was a record attendance. The track fund was considerably increased as a result.”  (The Advertiser – 29 April 1938)

and we were the first club to have a floodlit track for night racing…

Cycling – Track At Kilkenny To Be Floodlit (By SPOKE)
“New floodlighting equipment at the Kilkenny Amateur Cycling Club’s bitumen track at Hanson Reserve win be tested under racing conditions tonight. Kilkenny is the first amateur metropolitan club to have its track floodlit. The 440-yard circuit has a 500 candlepower light every 10 yards. Kilkenny will apply to the Amateur Cycling Association of SA to race on Thursday Nights from next Thursday. Port Adelaide and the newly formed Amateur Women’s Club will be invited to take part. The three clubs will race on Hanson Reserve at 3.10 pm on Sunday”  (The Advertiser – 30 January 1953)

Hanson Reserve has played host to the Australian Track Championships and was the home to the Australian track team in the 70’s and 80’s and headquarters for Cycling SA before the Adelaide SuperDrome was constructed. Unfortunately the track was resurfaced in mid-2000’s and the surface was deemed unrideable. Riders in South Australia lament the loss of an iconic velodrome and have longed for the classic mid-week race nights under lights.

The track and surrounds are currently undergoing a major upgrade which includes resurfacing with concrete, new fencing, upgraded lighting and the whole reserve being re-developed as part of the council’s Masterplan. While the days of cars lined around the perimeter are long gone (due to current OHS rules) and the atmosphere of those nights cannot be reproduced, we aim to be racing again in early 2019.

After an absence of around 12 years we can begin to write another chapter in our beloved velodrome. It will be incredible to be racing again on such an iconic track.