Hunter Valley coal mine gets second life as motorsport park

An historic coal mine west of Newcastle is being transformed into Australia’s first dedicated recreation resort park for motoring enthusiasts, including a 5.25 kilometre driving circuit designed by global F1 track design leader, Tilke Group.

The Rhondda Colliery began underground mining in the 1890s and ceased operations in 1971. Since then, the site has undergone rehabilitation including site remediation and revegetation.

The NSW Resources Regulator assessed and approved the rehabilitation application, allowing operator Yancoal to relinquish the site for the development of the Black Rock Motor Resort, which was approved in 2019.

Located at Wakefield in Lake Macquarie, the first sod was turned on Tuesday for the $95 million Black Rock Motor Resort which is hoped to draw national and international attention for its world-class high-speed circuit, driving training academy, go kart precinct, and motoring resort facilities.

A 5.25 kilometre driving circuit will be designed by Tilke Group, which has designed and contributed design to some of the most recognisable F1 tracks – including Bahrain International, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Red Bull Ring, Circuit of the Americas, Baku F1 City Circuit, and the Jeddah F1 Street Circuit.

“Black Rock Motor Resort is proud to be pioneering the adaptive re-use of a former coal mine into an exciting, world-class adventure tourism destination,” said Tony Palmer, CEO and founder of Black Rock Motor Resort.

“Black Rock Motor Resort will provide a range of motoring experiences including driver safety training for the young motorists of the region as well as exciting opportunities for the public to drive their own cars, or our cars, on the high-speed circuit. 

“I’d like to thank the NSW Government and Lake Macquarie City Council for supporting the vision to transform rehabilitated mining land into a valuable asset for the Lake Macquarie region and NSW.”

Construction of the Motor Resort is expected to create more than 450 jobs, with 229 permanent roles once in operation.

“We know motorsport lovers will travel and spend their money when they know they’re getting the best,” said Yasmin Catley, minister for the Hunter.

“It’s fantastic to see Lake Macquarie step up and offer locals and visitors from across the country and overseas the best in motorsport and tourism.

“We hear constantly about the need for tourism opportunities and adaptive reuse of rehabilitated mines. This is a smart, exciting example of both.”