History

The Traditional Owners of the land on which the track is located are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. It was then a swampy area with ducks and other water-loving creatures such as frogs providing food for the indigenous people. In the 1930s and after World War 2, large drainage projects from Queen Street down to Parkers Road prevented the worst flooding that previously affected Potts Paddock, as the open area not far from Warrigal Road was then called. In the immediate post war years it had been converted into a rudimentary sports venue.

Dolamore Oval, as it was then known, was officially opened on the 22 November 1959 by Col. Sir Wilfred Kent Hughes, President of the Victorian Amateur Athletic Association and also Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Melbourne Olympic Games.

The reserve was named after former Councillor A. H Dolamore.

The Track and Pavilion project was initiated by the Mentone Athletic Club some 16 years earlier and was achieved through the cooperation of the Council and citizens of the City of Mordialloc. Utilising the cinders from the 1956 Olympic track at the MCG and volunteer labour by numerous club members the first athletics track at the venue was laid in the last weeks of 1956,

The track and facilities have been upgraded, extended and refurbished on a number of occasions through the same cooperative spirit serving the recreation needs of the Kingston Community. The most recent project was a complete re-surfacing of the track, which was officially opened in March 2022.

Dolamore (Mentone Track and Field Centre) has provided informal and organised recreation opportunities for thousands of Kingston residents over the last 65 years, a number of whom have had the honour of representing Mentone, Victoria and Australia in state, Australian, World, Olympic and Paralympic competitions.

Ron Clarke set a world record for 10 miles at the venue in 1965, running 47 minutes, 12.8 seconds and was present for the unveiling of a sculpture called “The Torchbearer” commissioned in his honour.