An invitation to the Duke of Edinburgh to attend the fledgling Geelong Racing Club’s annual carnival resulted in one of the biggest events the town had seen.
Words: Greg Wane
It also still stands as the only time royalty has visited Geelong Racing Club.
Founded in March 1865, the club issued the invitation to the then-reigning Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred, in 1869.
To the club’s surprise, he accepted.
After all, the prince had ample excuse to stay in England. On his last visit to Australia, the year before, he almost died when he was shot in the back in an attempted assassination.
Henry James O’Farrell launched the attack in Sydney on 12 March 1868. He was hanged the following month.
Thrilled with the prince’s acceptance, the racing club was eager to showcase its new course at Marshalltown.
The course location in 1869 was on Barwon River flats off Tannery Road on the opposite banks to the end of Wilsons Road.
A new grandstand had been built and a second stand had been hastily erected for the royal party.
A day’s holiday had been proclaimed in Geelong for race day on March 4, when flags flew on all main buildings in the town centre.
The royal party was due to arrive in Geelong by train at 11am.
Hundreds of racegoers were already on their way down Moorabool Street, across the paddocks and beyond.
People had travelled from Geelong and the Western District for the day.
The royal train carrying the prince also had aboard several hundred racegoers from Melbourne.
Recognising an opportunity, enterprising Melbourne cab owners made the trip to Geelong in anticipation of big demand for cabs to the racecourse.
Cabs, buggies and carts of all types lined Moorabool Street near Market Square.
By 11am a huge crowd had formed outside Geelong Railway Station.
When cabbies saw the huge crowd they quickly conspired to put up their prices for travel to the course.
The royal train arrived after midday. The prince emerged from the station to a cheering crowd.
The young Prince Alfred climbed aboard the royal carriage and left for the Geelong racecourse.
Read more about Prince Alfred’s visit to the Geelong races on page 86.
