Macs Speedway in Queensland, Australia, has a quarter-mile oval dirt track that’s been reclaimed by nature
https://www.carscoops.com/author/chris-chilton-cc/
by Chris Chilton
October 21, 2024 at 15:15
- A speedway has come up for sale in Palmyra, Queensland, Australia.
- The site contains a house, garaging and a quarter-mile oval track that is now covered with grass.
- A drag strip, kart track and airfield surround the property but aren’t included in the sale.
Most of us have dreamed of being able to walk out of the front door and onto our own private racetrack. But unless those Powerball numbers come in, the idea will remain a dream because racetracks cost hypercar money – except this one.
Macs Speedway is located in Palmyra, Queensland on Australia’s east coast, about 1,250 miles (2,000 km) away from Melbourne’s Albert Park, the home of the Australian Grand Prix. But the fact that the two tracks are in the same country is about all they have in common.
Related: Every Day Is Literally Track Day At This $6.7 m Mansion With Its Own Private Racetrack
An earthy – in every sense of the word – motorsports venue, Macs is a 23-acre (9.3 hectares) site that features a house and some barn/hangar-type garage buildings, though the focal point is the quarter-mile (400 m) dirt oval in the center of the property. It clearly hasn’t been used for some time, because the track has been reclaimed by nature and is now covered with grass.
Knight Franks, the real estate agent selling the property, claims the facility has the potential to be a “world class motorsport venue,” though picturing that demands the kind of vision needed to look at a burned out wreck of a supercar and see a concours win in its future. But one reason the new buyer might want to invest some money updating the track is its supporting infrastructure. It’s surrounded by a kart track, drag strip and airfield, though none of those are included in the sale.
Attempts to revive the once thriving track in 2023 stalled and now the whole site is for sale for around $1.15 million AUS ($770k), according to Australia’s Drive. Depending on your point of view, that’s either a lot of money for a field and a ton of trash, or a once in a lifetime opportunity for a regular Joe to own his own racetrack. It’s also far less than the $2.2 million US YouTuber Cleetus McFarland paid for the bigger, but also dilapidated DeSoto Speedway (since renamed Freedom Factory) in Florida in 2020.
The video below shows the track hosting some fast and loose racing back in 2016.
H/T to Drive