TRAIN buffs, punters and social revellers alike will travel back in time next month when Talmoi Picnic Race Club celebrates 100 years of racing at its historic Garah racecourse – the last leg of the 2011 Golden Triangle bush-racing carnival.
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Club president Andrew Crowe says the June 25 centenary meeting – complete with the Syngenta Talmoi Centenary Train Ride from Moree to Garah on race-day morning – is the ideal way to wind up the Golden Triangle, which kicks off at Moree on May 28.
The meetings, tagged the heart of bush racing in the heart of the country and rapidly gaining “must-do” status on the NSW picnic-racing circuit, bookend round two of the Triangle at the famous Mallawa racetrack on June 11.
Garah, a small farming village on the Carnarvon Highway about 60km north-west of Moree, has been putting on the racing style since 1911, making it the oldest club on the popular circuit, ahead of Moree, which first galloped in 1924.
Mallawa, about 70km west of Moree on the Gwydir Highway, held its first meeting in 1930.
Crowe predicts centenary celebrations will outdo any other meeting Garah has hosted, after it was announced recently that Lachlan Valley Railways from Cowra will ferry patrons from Moree to Talmoi in grand style.
Train travellers will ride from Moree to Garah aboard a 1970s 47-class locomotive – one of only six of its kind still in operation in Australia. The train comes complete with vintage carriages as well as a buffet car.
Crowe said the Syngenta Talmoi Centenary Train Ride will help commemorate a special year of racing at Garah.
“Until 1953 the horses racing at Talmoi used to arrive by train from Moree, and now almost 60 years later racing fans will arrive by rail to spend a great day out at Garah,” Crowe said.
Morning tea will be served from the buffet car and calcutta tickets will be sold en route.
This year’s train ride will also be a classic case of deja vu for many.
In 2004 the Great Heritage Train Ride took place and won the Talmoi club the prestigious Racing NSW Community Race Club Award for Excellence.
“We as a club are very proud of winning that award and it was a great boost for picnic racing in our area,” Crowe said.
“We reckon there couldn’t be any better way to celebrate 100 years of racing at Garah than to put the train back on the tracks once again.”
Talmoi race club media officer Alison Hunter said Sydneysiders won’t be left on the platform, either.
Tourism Moree will also offer city tickets on the 47-class locomotive, which departs Central Station at 8.30am on race-day eve, Friday, June 24.
The train will also collect passengers at Hornsby at 9am and Broadmeadow at 11am before wending its way across north-western NSW. The estimated time of arrival at Moree is 6pm.
“Passengers can experience the town’s famous artesian spa baths on Friday evening or Saturday morning in readiness for a day of good old-fashioned country racing,” Hunter said.
“They can join local punters for the next stage of the Talmoi Centenary Train Ride and head to Garah, where they will be greeted by a procession of vintage cars and a horsedrawn 1930s wagonette before being bussed to Talmoi racecourse. There will also be buses booked for the Moree-Garah journey.
“If racing is not a priority, we encourage visitors to spend the day around Moree visiting art galleries, learning about the local Aboriginal culture or taking a trip to a local pecan nut farm or cotton gin,” she said.
The Syngenta Talmoi Centenary Train Ride will return to Garah the following day, Sunday, June 26, for a special market and family fun day.
Crowe said that costs have been trimmed considerably after signing global crop solutions company Syngenta as major sponsor of the Talmoi Centenary Train Ride.
"It's fantastic that we have such a large company like Syngenta supporting local picnic racing and the Garah community – it's going to be one heck of a weekend," he said.
Crowe also encourages families to skip the city for the weekend and discover what north-western NSW has to offer.
“Nothing beats a nostalgic railway trip, so what better way to get to the historic Talmoi races to celebrate 100 years of racing at Garah than by sitting back and enjoying the beautiful countryside on the way to Moree,” he said.
*Contact Moree Tourism on (02) 6757 3350 or info@moreetourism.com.au for more information on the Talmoi Centenary Train Ride, ticket allocations and Moree accommodation, activities and attractions.
Travelling times for the Talmoi Centenary Train Ride:
Friday, 24 June
- Sydney Central Station departure – 8.30am
- Hornsby departure - 9am
- Broadmeadow departure – 11am
- Moree arrival – 6pm
Saturday, 25 June
- Moree departure – 9.15am
- Garah arrival – 11.15am
- Garah departure – 6pm
- Moree arrival – 8pm
Sunday, 26 June - Family Fun Day
- Moree departure – 9.15am
- Garah arrival – 11.15am
- Garah departure – 2.30pm
- Moree arrival – 4.30pm
Monday, 27 June
- Moree estimated departure – 7am
- Gosford estimated arrival – 2pm (connecting CityLink train to Sydney)
