Redcliffe Harness Racing Club, Brisbane, Qld

Redcliffe Harness Racing Club received a major lighting upgrade, improving night racing and early-morning trackwork. Funded through the Racing Infrastructure Fund, the $6 million project delivers new LED broadcast lighting and upgraded electrical infrastructure. With over 100 race meetings a year, this upgrade supports the future of harness racing in Redcliffe.

Initially engaged to audit the lighting and electrical infrastructure, NDY identified that the installation had exceeded its serviceable life. The broadcast team struggled to deliver a quality broadcast due to poor lighting, making a complete replacement necessary. NDY was then engaged to provide the electrical design, while NDYLIGHT developed a reference design and performance specification to test the market on lighting supply costs. This allowed the managing contractor to source the most competitive final lighting design and fixtures from vendors as part of the tendering process.

With the need for a full electrical system replacement, we also identified that the site’s existing power supply could not support the planned lighting upgrade. To address this, our team facilitated an upgrade of the Energex substation on the site, expanding the venue’s electrical capacity to meet both immediate and future operational demands.

A reliable power source is critical for driver and horse safety. We designed a safety lighting system that operates on a separate generator, maintaining a base level of lighting for the track during unexpected outages.

Bordering a residential area, the track requires lighting that balances racing needs with the surrounding community. Feedback from residents about obtrusive lighting is a long-standing issue, with the previous system casting excessive glare into nearby homes. The design was fine tuned to minimise obtrusive lighting, and to provide the Club with flexibility, lighting controls were upgraded. A new training mode allows for lower illumination during early morning sessions, preventing unnecessary brightness while still meeting training needs.

The lighting upgrade at Redcliffe Harness Racing Club has improved night racing, track safety and broadcast quality. With a full racing schedule, these upgrades support the Club’s role in Queensland’s harness racing community.