Things to Do: Longford

[Terry]

Hi,

While in Tassie I would like check out the town of Longford, in particular the old race circuit or what is left of it, and drive on as much of it as possible. Apparently Longford is 23km SW of Launceston and the circuit was 7km long and in recent years has had a revival meetings from what I have read.

For those not familiar with it you can see and read about it here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longford_Circuit
and for a drive around the circuit
http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2011/04/01/3180341.htm

Terry

[moemoke]

The Longford Hotel (at the hairpin bend of the racetrack) used to have a lot of race memorabillia so that alone could be worth a look (and a meal!)

I also saw a pic in a car magazine of a fantastic road which looked like one of those alpine passes in Europe but it was in Tassie, just have to
find the magazine, unless someone knows where it is, the road, not the magazine 

[crayzeeclown]

jacobs ladder, thats in tassie and is quite the pass.

[Tim]

There's no shortage of twisty bits here.

Tim

[77Devil]

I also saw a pic in a car magazine of a fantastic road which looked like one of those alpine passes in Europe but it was in Tassie, just have to
find the magazine, unless someone knows where it is, the road, not the magazine 

I don't know if this is the same magazine as you were reading Moe but I found the magazine.

"Top Gear issue 023, from May 2010"  page 110

This was the first in their series of, greatest roads to drive.

Cheers

Dev

As for great roads to drive, there are just too many to do them all  in one trip.

[Pete Power]

I have very fond memories of the last part of road at the top of Ben Lomond. We were in a Toyota Camper van(early 80's) and the good wife was petrified of the drop off either side of the road to the point that 300m in I had to stop, she climbed through the van, got out the back door and walked back with me reversing back as not wide enough to turn..
Some great tracks were also inadvertently traversed on the way to the Lake Sorrell I think it was the Turnbridge Teir Rd???, that was a real test of driving skills in a Camper van, I was at times thinking I shouldn't be here, and for some corners made the wife get out while I went around some bends.
Would be unbelievable in a moke if the road is as it was in the 84'

[Morris 1100]

Hi,

While in Tassie I would like check out the town of Longford, in particular the old race circuit or what is left of it, and drive on as much of it as possible. Apparently Longford is 23km SW of Launceston and the circuit was 7km long and in recent years has had a revival meetings from what I have read.

For those not familiar with it you can see and read about it here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longford_Circuit
and for a drive around the circuit
http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2011/04/01/3180341.htm

Terry

Terry,
There is very little left of the circuit that you can drive, the flying mile is still there but the corners at each end are gone, the pit straight is there but you wouldn't know it. The viaduct is there but you can't drive under it without opening farm gates, the pub corner is there and the level crossing, Tannery Straight has been cut in half by a new main road.
I went exploring the remains in 1997 and it can only be worse now.

[vombatus]

Lucky I didn't answer.  I thought you meant Longford in Gippsland.  Not much there let alone a race track (old or otherwise).   

[tasmoken]

For those interested
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAbR9jxrnVQ

[moemoke]

Thats a great vid, thanks for finding it Tasmoken, there even is a bit of 'race cam' in it, I thought Channel 7 invented that in the 80's at Bathurst.
I love the lack of safety barriers between the track and the crowd and Sir Jack doing 160 mph on tyres no wider than on our mokes 

[shorty 68]

Yes you watch them drift around most of the corners and then drive down the main straight at over 257.49kph (160mph), thats just nuts. The engineer's that made and designed those cars and most from REPCO Australia. We even had a race track at warick farm nsw. Thanks for the video.

Cheers shorty   

[melbournerob]

Lack of safety barriers? Never - there's some very substantial hay bales in a couple of places after all!  Good strong stuff that hay!

Rob

[Moke My Day]

Grant (SharaDust) and I spoke with a guy at the V8's on Sunday that spent many a week-end at the Longford track as a kid.
As mentioned by Morris 1100 a lot of the track is not accessible however many of the features can be seem from the new road.
It is likely that we will be heading in the opposite direction for the touring part of Mokin' Down Under however everyone will need to travel back that way from Hobart to catch the boat so well worth a stop for those interested.
Also as mentioned by Tim there are lots of great roads for Moke driving in 2015, I hope to put up some video within the next few weeks (months)