ANZAC Rifle Range
Encyclopedia
Malabar Headland (New South Wales)
Malabar Headland is a headland in Sydney, Australia located in the suburb of Malabar. It is the most diverse area of coastal bushland in the Sydney region supporting over 283 endemic native plant species and more than 200 bird species...
, south of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. It is headquarters to the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
Association, and hosts the annual NSW Queen's Prize. The range is shared between various shooting associations and clubs with the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia
The Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia was established in 1948 to promote shooting sports and protect firearm owners' interests. The SSAA currently has over 120,000 members, making it the largest body representing licensed firearm owners in Australia, and covers all aspects of shooting...
(SSAA) occupying the "southern" end of the complex. The range is also extensively used by clubs affiliated with the SSAA and NSWRA.
Range history
1850s: recreational shooting began on the rifle range site.1888: recreational target shooting reported to be in action.
1910: NSW Government dedicated the whole headland for military purposes.
1916: a cliff face ocean outfall for sewerage established south of the nominated area.
1919: a permanent rifle range site was surveyed on the site.
1929: control of the rifle range was transferred to the Commonwealth.
1939–1945: various military installations (circa 43 in number) built on the site, notably the Boora Point Battery.
Malabar Battery
Malabar Battery was a coastal defence battery built in 1943 during World War II at Malabar Headland, Malabar, New South Wales, Australia. The battery is also known as Boora Point Battery....
1967: NSW Rifle Association clubs transferred to the site from Holsworthy
Holsworthy, New South Wales
Holsworthy is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Holsworthy is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and partly in the Sutherland Shire.Holsworthy is most notable for...
.
1968–1988: rifle range site used for extensive landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
operations, possibly from nearby industrial sites.
1970: name of the area changed to Anzac Rifle Range, Malabar.
1986: Commonwealth announced intention to dispose of property, and official military use ceased.
1990s: legal action undertaken by NSW Rifle Association to prevent disposal of the site.
Clubs using the range
- Bankstown Chatswood Rifle Club — A long range F-Class and target rifle club.
- Royal Australian Navy Rifle Reserve Club (RANRRC) - a multi-disciplinary club with a history dating back to some 70 years on the range.