Mt Perry Race Club

Though early times at Mount Perry may have been hard, life was not all work and one hundred and forty years ago they knew how to enjoy themselves. The first sign of levity in newspaper reports came at the start of 1872 when the citizens of Mount Perry held their first race meeting. For more than 140 years the sport of kings has been a favourite enjoyment for many of the townspeople.

The first race meeting on the 1st/2nd January, 1872 was a spectacular event held on the “plateau between Sandy Creek and the pine clad heights of Mount Perry”. The town’s publicans – Clark, Maher, Curry, O’Neill and Pattison – operated liquor booths, and a good time was apparently had by all. At the same time two racehorses, Quadrant and Royalty were auctioned.

Four years later there were complaints about the lack of support from publicans, but the race meeting on New Year’s day 1877 had a Maiden Plate of 20 sovereigns, Miners Purse of 10 sovereigns, Publicans Purse of 15 sovereigns, Hurdle Race of 10 sovereigns, Hack Race of 5 sovereigns, Wonbah Plate Handicap of 30 sovereigns and a Hurry Scurry of 3 sovereigns. Settling up was at the Royal Hotel, and a Race Ball was held at Duncan’s Victoria Hotel. The Miners Purse was an event for untrained horses that had never won a prize, the bona fide property of miners in Mulgrave District and ridden by working miners.