At the moment, the closest racetrack to the Shoalhaven is One Raceway, near Goulburn. Photo: Hi-Tec Oils Super Series, Facebook.
When Greg Boyle left Sydney for the Shoalhaven, he did so with the expectation a racetrack was about to be built almost on his doorstep.
He moved to the region in 2016 after plans were unveiled for a major motorsports complex at Yerriyong near Nowra – a project that would put a fully fledged racetrack just two kilometres from his new home.
“I moved to the Shoalhaven to get away from Sydney, but also because I thought, ‘If they’re going to build a racetrack, how good would it be to have it almost right next door?’” he says.
Talk of a racetrack in the Shoalhaven had circulated for years, but the idea had gained real momentum by 2016.
Motorcycling NSW had committed $1 million to feasibility studies for the construction of a 4.2-kilometre motorsports complex on a circa-100-acre block at Yerriyong. The NSW Government had also pledged a further $10 million through a grant, and a development application was already before Shoalhaven City Council.
The future looked set.
The motorsports complex would be located near the HMAS Albatross base at Nowra Hill. Photo: ADF
But that was 10 years ago. And locals like Greg – with his race-spec Nissan GTRs – are still driving for hours to either One Raceway in Goulburn or Sydney Motorsport Park in Eastern Creek to stretch their racecars’ legs.
But he still dreams about a racetrack at Shoalhaven.
Greg is now championing a renewed push to get up the ‘Shoalhaven Motorsports Complex’, rallying more than 7000 fellow supporters across two official Facebook pages and pushing the council to start investigations.
What a Shoalhaven Motorsports Complex could look like
The group, dubbed ‘Support a New Motorsport Track in the Shoalhaven’, envisions the same 4.2-km tarmac circuit on the same circa-100-acre block of public land in Yerriyong.
Yerriyong is located just south of Nowra and inland from Jervis Bay, and is already known for its hiking, mountain biking, and 4WD trails.
The project would include a drag strip and go-kart track, but also accommodation and eatery options and a whole “motorsport industrial complex” including mechanical, fabrication, and body repair workshops.
Similar to the arrangement at One Raceway, the council would likely need to impose noise limits on the facility to protect the neighbours.
“So you’d have a certain number of ‘noisy days’ per month, like four or six, so you could have, say, two race meetings a month,” Greg says.
“And then the rest are quieter days restricted to 95 decibels.”
The complex would be located within Yerriyong, inland from Jervis Bay. Photo: Google Maps, Screenshot.
Why the need?
The call for a local racetrack in the Shoalhaven region has been bouncing around for at least 30 years, Greg estimates.
Nowra is already home to a clay speedway track, located on Albatross Road, and there’s the Nowra District Motorcycle Club, also in Yerriyong.
But there’s nothing for tarmac-based events. A petition to the Shoalhaven City Council last year racked up more than 1000 signatures, which shows “the demand is there for it”.
“It’s always been an issue of where you put it, and then who was in power at the time, because there are a lot of Greens in our area, and they’re not interested in a track at all. So whoever was in the council at the time made a big difference.”
Motorcycling NSW brought the idea closest to reality in 2016, but Greg says it ultimately failed due to internal issues within the club.
There were also environmental issues with the block, largely due to a population of rare orchids. But Greg believes this can be overcome by declaring the project to be of “state significance”.
“This would make it no different to building a public road through there, so you can relocate the orchids and do other environmental offsets which allow you to build on that block of land,” he says.
He estimates the total cost of the project at between $80 million and $100 million, and hopes to again persuade the government to contribute given the potential benefits to the region.
“It’s bringing work and jobs. And the whole package – tourism and visitor numbers and promotion – is good for the Shoalhaven. This is what it needs.”
One of Greg Boyle’s two Nissan GT-R racecars. Photo: Greg Boyle.
What’s happening now?
Greg and the group haven’t yet filed a DA, but they are “getting all our ducks in a row”.
“We’re basically getting council to let us know how we can proceed, so we don’t waste our time and money doing reports we don’t need to.”
In June 2025, the council voted to reinstate the ‘Shoalhaven Motor Sports Working Group’ as a formal council committee. And at its latest meeting, council was advised to look at how Bathurst gained environmental permissions from the NSW Government for a second circuit at Mount Panorama, and whether there are any “biodiversity offsets” available.
Greg expects a largely easy time through the process because – for the first time in the project’s history – “all the councillors are for it”.
“In the past, 50 per cent of them haven’t been for it, which made it really difficult, whereas now, it’s nearly unanimous.”
Greg is hopeful to secure a DA with the council by year’s end, and from there apply for funding grants, find a builder, and ideally have a finished racetrack within five to 10 years.
“If it’s ever going to happen, now’s the time.”
