
By Carolyn Landon
THIS SUNDAY, Monday and Tuesday fans of cycling will gather in Bass Coast for three legs of the 2022 Tour of Gippsland, featuring some of Australia’s top riders.
It’s a welcome return of elite cycling to a shire with a proud cycling history beginning as early as 1910, when the Powlett Express reported “Movement is afoot to establish a Wonthaggi Cycling Club.”
Soon afterwards, weekly handicap races took place on Saturday afternoons starting from the Union Theatre. In 1926, the July 7 Melbourne Sporting Globe reported that Bruce Small had arranged the “Malvern Star”, an annual open race from Wonthaggi to Melbourne, a distance of 86 miles.
Mr Small had intended to stage his race along the Dandenong Road from Oakleigh through Gippsland, but “strong inducements were held out to him to make Wonthaggi the starting point, as cycling is booming in the mining district.”
THIS SUNDAY, Monday and Tuesday fans of cycling will gather in Bass Coast for three legs of the 2022 Tour of Gippsland, featuring some of Australia’s top riders.
It’s a welcome return of elite cycling to a shire with a proud cycling history beginning as early as 1910, when the Powlett Express reported “Movement is afoot to establish a Wonthaggi Cycling Club.”
Soon afterwards, weekly handicap races took place on Saturday afternoons starting from the Union Theatre. In 1926, the July 7 Melbourne Sporting Globe reported that Bruce Small had arranged the “Malvern Star”, an annual open race from Wonthaggi to Melbourne, a distance of 86 miles.
Mr Small had intended to stage his race along the Dandenong Road from Oakleigh through Gippsland, but “strong inducements were held out to him to make Wonthaggi the starting point, as cycling is booming in the mining district.”
That first Malvern Star race attracted 116 riders and it took the winning rider 3 hours and 20 minutes to complete the race. Although he rode the distance in the fastest time, Hubert “Oppy” Opperman, the great road king of Australia, finished sixth.” (Daily Telegraph Sept. 1926)
In 1930, a Carnival was arranged by the Wonthaggi Fire Brigade on the day of the Melbourne-Wonthaggi road contest. It was held on the local sports ground and a large program was arranged, the proceeds of which would be divided between the local fire brigade and the Wonthaggi Hospital.
In 1939, a special 100-mile Wonthaggi-Melbourne race organised by “Oppy” Opperman was held under the auspices of the Victorian Amateur Cyclists’ Union. It was the only continental style, big open event in Australia that year and was, therefore, a historic occasion with a combined entry of 136 riders.
The Wonthaggi Cycling Club held many cycling events including road tours from Wonthaggi to Inverloch or Wonthaggi to Cowes and back. It ran its own Wonthaggi Tour for Gippsland riders and always expected strong opposition from everywhere. Club secretary Bill Armfield planned circuitous courses with riders passing through the town at least seven times for the Wonthaggi Tour in 1940.
In fact, that event drew one of the largest crowds ever seen at a cycle race because word had got around that British Empire sprint champion Herb Guyatt would compete in the road race. He defeated his co-scratch marker, Keith Slavin, by half a wheel with Ivan Watson three lengths further back. Guyatt secured fastest time honours as well as first place. After the race, he donated the trophies back to the club to be handed down the list of riders.
Many events were scheduled in support of annual events such as the hospital fete or May Day celebration of the 40-hour week or the Fire Brigade. For instance, in the early 1930s cycling was featured in the Wonthaggi Hospital Sports. Prime Minister James Scullin attended to watch a special race called the “Canberra Cup” and hand the cup to the winner.
In 1930, a Carnival was arranged by the Wonthaggi Fire Brigade on the day of the Melbourne-Wonthaggi road contest. It was held on the local sports ground and a large program was arranged, the proceeds of which would be divided between the local fire brigade and the Wonthaggi Hospital.
In 1939, a special 100-mile Wonthaggi-Melbourne race organised by “Oppy” Opperman was held under the auspices of the Victorian Amateur Cyclists’ Union. It was the only continental style, big open event in Australia that year and was, therefore, a historic occasion with a combined entry of 136 riders.
The Wonthaggi Cycling Club held many cycling events including road tours from Wonthaggi to Inverloch or Wonthaggi to Cowes and back. It ran its own Wonthaggi Tour for Gippsland riders and always expected strong opposition from everywhere. Club secretary Bill Armfield planned circuitous courses with riders passing through the town at least seven times for the Wonthaggi Tour in 1940.
In fact, that event drew one of the largest crowds ever seen at a cycle race because word had got around that British Empire sprint champion Herb Guyatt would compete in the road race. He defeated his co-scratch marker, Keith Slavin, by half a wheel with Ivan Watson three lengths further back. Guyatt secured fastest time honours as well as first place. After the race, he donated the trophies back to the club to be handed down the list of riders.
Many events were scheduled in support of annual events such as the hospital fete or May Day celebration of the 40-hour week or the Fire Brigade. For instance, in the early 1930s cycling was featured in the Wonthaggi Hospital Sports. Prime Minister James Scullin attended to watch a special race called the “Canberra Cup” and hand the cup to the winner.

and Joe Main, 1938.
Wonthaggi had many champion cyclists known by everyone in the town and who drew crowds wherever they rode. The fame of several extended to Melbourne and even the world. The riders excelled in road races, stage races, match races, pursuit races, whatever was going. They included Peter and Tom Lindsay, Tom Fitzgerald, Jack Clancy, Keith Slavin, Joe Main, Billy Hitchinson, John Evens and Richard Mullins. Jack Clancy, who won the trophy for the first country rider at Oakleigh in 1940, opened a new bicycle and radio business on McBride Avenue that year.
Dickie Collins was an early champion, but he had to retire hurt after only a short career during which he beat J Watson (Amateur Champion of Australia) in the Wonthaggi Cycling Club’s 17-mile road race to Inverloch and back. “On the homeward journey he showed what he was made of. He sat down and rode a splendid race and broke the race record.” (October 1931)
Dickie Collins was an early champion, but he had to retire hurt after only a short career during which he beat J Watson (Amateur Champion of Australia) in the Wonthaggi Cycling Club’s 17-mile road race to Inverloch and back. “On the homeward journey he showed what he was made of. He sat down and rode a splendid race and broke the race record.” (October 1931)
But the most beloved Wonthaggi rider of all, it seems, was Wally “Hefty” Stuart. Hefty was part of a trio of crack Australian riders – with Oppy Opperman and Ernie Milliken – who went to England together in the 1930s and astonished the British cycling fraternity. Ernie Milliken did it by breaking the unbreakable London-to-Brighton-and-back record, which he did by 14 minutes. Hefty then beat the Portsmouth-and-back record by 25 minutes and Oppy did the same in his Bath-and-back ride.

The Poms reckoned it had to do with style. The English riders were “stylists”, small of physique and seemingly effortless in “spinning the cranks”. The Aussies were tough riders who, when they come to a steep hill, “got off the saddle and thrust in the method confined to errand boys in this country – very powerful but very tiring method of progression. They have a physique that is able to take punishment without physical injury and iron will that so often goes with the strong man …” (Article in a London paper written by Alan Gregory).
While overseas the three competed and were featured in the World Championships in Belgium in 1935.
They came home absolute heroes. But tragedy struck only a few years later when Hefty went to Olympic Park in Melbourne for some demonstration rides. His back tyre suddenly punctured and he fell. A race escort motorbike clipped his wheel, ran over him and killed him.
After that the wind seemed to go out of Wonthaggi cycling until 1954 when the Wonthaggi Cycle Club conducted the W.F. “Hefty” Stuart memorial road race over seven laps of the Tour of Wonthaggi course. There was only a small field of ten riders who raced under gruelling conditions. Peter Baker won, after an almost lone ride. His time was one hour and thirteen minutes.
This essay was first published in The Plod, the newsletter of the Wonthaggi & District Historical Society.
While overseas the three competed and were featured in the World Championships in Belgium in 1935.
They came home absolute heroes. But tragedy struck only a few years later when Hefty went to Olympic Park in Melbourne for some demonstration rides. His back tyre suddenly punctured and he fell. A race escort motorbike clipped his wheel, ran over him and killed him.
After that the wind seemed to go out of Wonthaggi cycling until 1954 when the Wonthaggi Cycle Club conducted the W.F. “Hefty” Stuart memorial road race over seven laps of the Tour of Wonthaggi course. There was only a small field of ten riders who raced under gruelling conditions. Peter Baker won, after an almost lone ride. His time was one hour and thirteen minutes.
This essay was first published in The Plod, the newsletter of the Wonthaggi & District Historical Society.