Frequently Asked Questions

The research material says yes. It shows that the race staged in Goulburn on 15 January 1927 was explicitly promoted as the Australian Grand Prix for motor cars, making it the earliest documented event of that name in Australia.

Geoff Meredith won the final in a Bugatti, with Jack O’Rourke finishing second in another Bugatti.

The event was held at the Goulburn Showground, on an oval grass track. The research also links the historic site to what is now the Goulburn Recreation Area precinct.

For many years the 1928 Phillip Island race was widely treated as the first Australian Grand Prix. Later research uncovered evidence that the Goulburn event of 1927 had already been promoted and run under the Australian Grand Prix title.

Because the evidence identifies Goulburn as the site of the first motor race actually promoted and staged as the Australian Grand Prix. That gives the city a foundational place in the history of the sport in Australia.

No. The race was held on a grass track at the showground rather than on a public-road circuit. The research argues that this does not diminish its significance because there was no settled Australian rule at the time limiting a Grand Prix to road-racing format alone.