Menangle Park Paceway

Menangle Park Paceway is a harness racing track operating in Menangle Park, New South Wales, Australia.HistoryThe Menangle Park Racecourse was opened in 1914 and after the outbreak of World War I, it was requisitioned as an army camp used for the Australian Light Horse. The facility was returned to the owners for horse racing, until 18 November 1941, when the racecourse was again taken over by the military during World War II.The racecourse was converted into a military camp, providing camping and training facilities for Royal Australian Air Force constructed an aerodrome at the site in 1942, which went through the middle of the racecourse, which was known as Menangle Aerodrome. The aerodrome was a satellite aerodrome for RAAF Station Schofields and the runway was 5000ft long and 150ft wide. Seven splinterproof pens and five concealed hideouts were constructed at the aerodrome. The site was also used as an aircraft park for HMS Nabthorpe, a Royal Navy Mobile Operational Naval Air Base, based at Schofields.Units based at Menangle AerodromeNo. 1 Squadron RAAFNo. 15 Squadron RAAFNo. 23 Squadron RAAFNo. 83 Squadron RAAFNo. 164 Radar Station RAAF After the abandonment of Menangle aerodrome, the site was a location for scenes for the film Smithy based on the historic flight of Charles Kingsford Smith. The NSW Trotting Club acquired the site in 1952 and redeveloped the racecourse as a paceway, which officially opened on 26 September 1953.