Nuriootpa

The Sporting Car Club of South Australia switched racing in the state to the roads outside Nuriootpa after accidents had marred the 1948 meeting at Lobethal. Set in the wine-growing Barossa Valley, this 3-mile square road course was mainly flat and featured two narrow bridges across the North Para River with vineyards adjacent to the start-line. It held the 1950 Australian Grand Prix which was awarded to the fastest driver (Doug Whiteford in his 1939 “Black Bess” Ford V8 Special) despite the race being started on a handicap basis. Legislation passed in 1951 outlawed racing on street circuits, which was only overturned in 1984 to allow Formula 1 to race on Adelaide’s Parklands Circuit.