FEDERAL FUNDING PAVES WAY FOR MAJOR UPGRADE OF TUNCURRY RACECOURSE

Major road resealing and widening on Chapmans Road Tuncurry will improve safety and accessibility at the Tuncurry Racecourse for emergency vehicles, local businesses, jockey and sporting club users, racegoers and the general public.

Tuncurry Forster Jockey Club will receive $689,000 under the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program for upgrades to the intersection of Chapmans Road and the Club access road, as well as to seal an internal dirt road.

Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie said the road sealing was critical for fire trucks to get better access to the large dam in the centre of the racecourse which is a natural aquifer and the largest source of fresh water in the Tuncurry Forster area.

“The sealed roads will allow quicker access for the RFS to re-fill their trucks at Tuncurry racecourse in emergency situations,” Dr Gillespie said.

“The RFS also use this large water supply for training purposes, so the road upgrades will benefit the public in more ways than one.

“This funding program is supporting local organisations and businesses recovering from the 2019-20 bushfires.

“In some cases, the funding is delivering upgrades to local evacuation centres, fire equipment and training programs, or it’s investing in infrastructure that supports community resilience and connection and better fire preparation and response,” he said.

Tuncurry-Forster Jockey Club Chair Garry McQuillan said many local community groups, as well as racegoers, stood to benefit from the improvements.

“We have a number of other sporting clubs around here - the golf range, croquet club, bowling greens – and our dam supplied water to many of these places when the fires were on,” Mr McQuillan said. “Getting the trucks in and out quickly is a priority.”