Friday 17th March 2017
The Darwin Turf Club today unveiled plans for a new multi-million dollar project to construct the Fannie Bay Racing and Sports Club (Silks), a standalone sports and gaming venue located at the entrance to the racecourse on Dick Ward Drive.
The Fannie Bay Racing and Sports Club is a 80:20 partnership agreement between the Darwin Turf Club and the Alice Springs Turf Club. The club will house a sports bar, beer garden, restaurant, TAB, and gaming machines, enhancing the Darwin Racing facilities for Members, event patrons, industry participants and the local community
“Not just a venue for racing enthusiasts, the membership driven venue will be open seven days a week for locals, families, and visitors alike to come and enjoy an affordable meal in the restaurant or a relaxing drink in the spacious beer garden”, said Darwin Turf Club Chairman Brett Dixon.
“ The kids have their own dedicated, safe play areas, and the state-of-the-art sports bar is one of the highlights of this new facility”, he said.
Designed by local architects Concept Designs NT Pty Ltd, the Fannie Bay Racing and Sports Club will hold major economic benefits for the Northern Territory, supporting the community with the generation of local jobs during both the construction and post completion stages.
“Once in full operation, an estimated $2 million dollars in gaming taxes with approximately $500 thousand dollars in GST revenue will be injected into the Northern Territory economy annually”, said Mr Dixon.
“The two Turf Clubs believe in the merit of a combination of gaming machines and sports club for the continued growth in income streams to the Turf Clubs, to assist the racing clubs in becoming more self-reliant”.
“Furthermore the success of this venture will financially assist NT racing in investing back into the Alice and Darwin Carnivals; these events provide a huge injection into their local economies, it is important to continue investing in the Carnivals to further grow the attraction for tourists to the Territory,” he said
Construction will commence upon approvals from the Development Consent Authority and other regulatory bodies, with a predicted timeline of nine to twelve months to project completion.
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For further information, please contact Darwin Turf Club’s CEO Keith Stacy on 0417 892 468 or kstacy@darwinturfclub.org.au .
