If you haven’t noticed, drag racing continues to be a very big deal for Aussie gearheads. So much so that, instead of tearing down race tracks, they’re actually building new ones – big ones. The latest on their roster is the new Swan Hill drag strip, about three hours away from Melbourne.

14,000 cubic meters of dirt were displaced to make this new track a reality, and much of the heavy lifting was done by volunteers and local businesses who actually welcome the new track (imagine that). Members of the Swan Hill Drag Racing Club along with Murray Valley Lasers and Graders have helped put in the labor to make this dragway a reality, and it sports the longest concrete surface in all of Australia at 310 meters. The remaining 100 meters or so will be done with asphalt.

The first 350 feet or so of the strip sports a particularly neat parlor trick – the surface of the track can be heated or cooled by a variance of as much as 46 degrees (Fahrenheit), technology which gets installation and support by local companies Elsteel and McKenzies Electrical.

Scheduled to open in December of this year, the Victorian Government ponied up $2 million to get the track built, and with another $50,000 from the Swan Hill City Council and $220,000 in labor from the car club, the group effort helped make the new track come together. Additional elements like grass and sprinkler systems were donated by Advanced Turf, while logistical construction, like creating the entrance roads to the track, were done by Coburns Earthmoving.

Truly incredible to see what can be accomplished when the community backs motorsport projects. Can you imagine if we had this kind of support here in the US – and how happy it would make enthusiasts and competitors to know that they’re revered instead of frowned upon by the local community? Pinch us, we must be dreaming. Would this be a dream come true for you and your community? Tell us below in the comments what you think of this.