Building the Proving Ground
As time progressed and Experimental Test found itself having to move from one
Durability route to another often less severe one, repeatability of testing results were
lost. With the need to test pretest then prototype and finally production samples of a
totally new Holden the FE in the near future the Engineering Test Engineer started a
drive to obtain a Proving Grovmd to meet his needs. At this time the only Proving
Ground facilities in the General Motors World were located in the U.S.A. A possible
layout of how a hypothetical area of land could be utilised if it had suitable contours
and features was devised and together with other material used to present the case for
a G.M.H. Proving Groimd.
.Resulting from this submission the Assistant Experimental Test Engineer was sent
to America to the Milford Proving Ground in Michigan U.S.A.for
approximately three weeks in October 1954. He was able to discuss the G.M.H.road
durability testing needs and hear their suggestions as well as viewing their very
extensive facilities.They also made available copies of test procedures in use and
other adminisfration details used in their various vehicle operations.
With this information and his newly acquired knowledge and views Experimental
Test were able to draft a new set of operating procedures and other administration
material appropriate to mee t GMH needs in future. Based on the data gathered and
information gathered by the Experimental Test Engineer on a visit in to America in
1955 GMH management submitted the case for a project to build a Proving Ground in
Ausfralia to General Motors Overseas Operations in New York. The proposed
Proving Ground design would require a large flat area to accommodate a circular
high speed road similar in shape to the rim of a saucer which was to be level and flat
around the whole 360 degree arc of its length on any and all radial lines which would
define the 50 Ft. rim width as it would be built. The circumferential lanes above the
inner low speed lane would be designed with increasing side slopes to allow for
operation at higher speed in that lane with little or no side load on the vehicle
traversing the road than in the lower lane nearer the cenfre of the circular road. The
circular level road being proposed was following the suggestions of the Milford Civil
Engineering Staff who were quite satisfied with a similar design high speed circular
road which they had designed and was put in use in Phoenix Arizona in 1953 and was
giving complete satisfaction. The projected facility applied for for G.M.H. would
have four 12 foot wide lanes the inside one being designed for twenty miles per hour
and the outer lane being for one himdred and ten miles per hour.
The property required was also to have sufficient area of hills or undulating
land on which roads for durability operation could be built with varying surfaces over
which one way traffic would operate. Access roads to these roads would in the
interests of economy have two way traffic capability .Another requirement of the land
would be that it would be close enough to the Melbourne Engineering Department
facility to allow the proposed Proving Ground to be used by Engineers from Port
Melbourne in the course of a working day.
When the project was eventually approved a search for a suitable site to meet
these requirements was made by Finance Department vrith help from the GMH
bankers, the Commonwealth Bank. The task was difficult as great areas of the
Melbourne environs were quickly encroaching on rural land and in the end due to
multiple ownership of other likely sites the nearest likely site and the one finally
purchased was 56 miles from Melbourne on the Bass Highway , thirteen miles south
of Lang Lang, township in South Gippsland on the Bass Highway.
To obtain the necessary totally enclosed property, four separate adjacent
blocks were purchased. The total area of land was bisected by two public road
alignments and was located in two rural shires.The two road alignments were
purchased after an Act of the Victorian Parliament was passed enabling their purchase
to be incorporated into the area. Changes also took place to the Shire boundaries to
make all the land purchased located in only one shire the Shire of Cranboume.
The front two blocks of land acquired had been little used after the Second
World War These blocks were substantially flat ,covered approximately 1100 acres
and fronted the Bass Highway. The rear two blocks on which the low hills are located
were still Crown Land. They were purchased by General Motors Holden on 15*
February 1956.The two traversing road alignments were purchased by auction as
required by the Lang Lang Land Act 1955- Act number 5928. These rear blocks and
the two road aligimients were covered with low bush and scrub except in the creek
gullies where heavier timber was present.Lots 87 and 88 were in the Shire Of
Cranboume while lots89C and 89D were in the Shire of Korumburra.
The land purchased consisted of lot 87 at the West fronting the Bass Highway
523 acres 1 rood and 30 square rods in area. The lot East of it and sharing a conmion
boundary is lot 88 which is 589 acres 2 roods in area. These two lots were in private
ownership when purchased and had in the past been partially cleared but had for some
years been neglected and covered with varying amounts of regrowth at the time of
purchase. The road alignement on the East boundary of 88 had been granted a title
for Private purchase and had become lot 89E 7 acres 1 rood and 35 square rods in
area.The ex Crown lot to the East of this is lot 89C and is 829 acres 3 Roods and37
square rods in area.The road aligimient to the East boundary of lot 89C was granted
the title number of 89F and is 6 acres 2 roods and 22 square rods in area.The most
Eastern block is lot 89 D and is 211 acres and 5 square rods in area. The total
consolidated area purchased is 2168 acres and 9 square roods in area.
Once the site had been purchased a suitable road lay out was devised to utilise
the flattish area and the hills to the maximum advantage at the lowest cost. During this
process a grid survey of the front two blocks was commissioned by a firm of
Surveyors. Also fencing contractors were commissioned to remove existing boundary
fencing and erect an eight foot boimdary fence approximately ten miles long around
the total property.
In May 1956 a press release of the likely appearance of thefiiturebuildings
and high speed circular road appeared in some of the Melbourne Press. As a result of
this release a retired Country Roads Board Engineer Mr Frederick Oldfield
approached GMH and offered his services as a consultant engineer for the project. Mr
Oldfield had been in charge of the Country Roads Board Highways throughout
Gippsland in the period when the Victorian Government took over the responsibility
for all main roads from the local shires and built the Highway network in that area..
His offer was accepted and he was given the position of Consultant Engineer. As a
result the detail design and drafting of the roads for the Proving Ground was done by
Engineering Department with Mr Oldfield working part time including a watching
brief over the construction of the roads, drains, creek crossings and a tide gate at the
outfall of the northern boundary drain where it entered Westemport Bay.
In mid 1956 tenders were called for the building of all the durability roads
with the exception of the High Speed Circular road to be known as the Speed
Loop..The successful contractor Roche Bros commenced construction in September
1956. Meanwhile the circular high speed circular road was being designed and the
surveyors were laying out the necessary markers and pegs to enable the Speed Loop
to be built. TTiis was a very challenging job necessitating the identifying of the centre
point of the future road, clearing radial sight lines from this point often through heavy
titree and scrub followed by circimiferencial one hundred foot arc sight lines to lay
out and establish correctly placed level pegs around the 15394 foot layout line for the
fiiture road. The quantities of material to be excavated, and quantities of material
necessary for embankments were calculated by Engineering Department and together
with design drawings specifications and contract requirements for the construction of
the fifty foot sealed road which would become the speed loop became the tender
documents for the construction of the Speed Loop. The four lane circular road would
be similar to the rim of a saucer in shape and rise 7.6 feet from the inner edge of the
irmer traffic lane to the top outer edger of the outside highest traffic lane.The speed
loop pavement was to be at the same elevation at any given radius throughout its 360
degree circumference.
Access to the speed loop would be via an access road passing under the speed
loop bank from the Western side via an eleven foot high two lane tunnel and would
join onto the iimer lane of the loop road. A feature of the design was the provision of
seven brake pads off the inner lane where brake stops could be accomplished and
allowing clear passage of traffic on the irmer lane.
The tender for the construction of this project was advertised on October 1956
Roche Bros were the successfiil tenderer. Work started on the speed loop 8* February
1957.
The construction of the fence was completed December 1956 but an opening
was left in it until March 4* 1957 when after an attempt to drive out the resident
kangaroos was relatively unsuccessful and only three kangaroos were driven out the
opening was closed.
After clearing the building site and placing and compacting the necessary
filling the Building contractors John D. Booker took over and started the Building on
February 18* 1957. A future home for the durability Supervisor was started on 2"**
May 1957. The Speed loop underpass structure was started by John Holland and
Company on May 15* 1957.
Maintenance Staff
The first maintenance employee Mr Frank Keimedy, a local, commenced work
1^* April 1957 followed by an employeefransferredfromPort Melbourne and two
other local employees to act as labourers and plant operators. The maintenance
equipment provided consisted of tractors, a bulldozer with a trailed hydraulic digger, a
grader, and numerousfractordriven or frailed implements. This crew helped prepare
for the commencement of the Proving Groimd operations which started at the Proving
Grounds on August 13* 1957.