Kensington Racecourse, Sydney

Kensington racecourse is a now-closed pony racecourse on the current site of the University of New South Wales in the suburb of Kensington, Sydney, Australia. The course was in operation between 1893 and 1942, and during the Boer War and World Wars I and II it was taken over as a military camp.^[1] Many of the first Anzacs trained at Kensington Racecourse in 1914 before leaving for Egypt and Gallipoli.^[2] An extensive account of the training in late 1914 appears in the diary of Archie Barwick.^[3]

A migrant hostel was located on the site in the late 1940s.^[1] Construction of the University began in 1951.

The Old Tote building of the racecourse survived and in the 1960s and 1970s was the home of the Old Tote Theatre Company. It is now the Figtree Theatre in the grounds of UNSW.

1902 racebook

Front cover of the 1902 Kensington Race Club racebook.
Kensington Race Club showing raceday officials.
Kensington Race Club showing transport arrangements.
Kensington Race Club rules of racing.
Kensington Handicap showing the winner, Trinket.
Starters & results Kensington Handicap.
Kensington Race Club showing admission charges.

References

^ ^a ^b Development of UNSW Kensington Campus Exhibition Records and Archives Office, UNSW.
^ Bradley, Alice (2015). "100 years on: WWI army camps". realestate.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ "Archie Barwick diary, 22 August 1914-September 1915". State Library of New South Wales Catalogue. 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2021.