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The circular track at the former Holden Proving Ground
By Catherine Watson
For more than 70 years the Lang Lang Proving Ground has been used to test cars. Now it's likely to be used to test drones and military hardware.
The iconic site, which has been on the market for the past five years, is now under contract to RedHawke Capital Investments Pty Ltd.
The company is owned by Travis Reddy, founder and CEO of DefendTex, a Melbourne-based defence technology firm with operations in Australia, the US and UK. DefendTex designs and manufactures unmanned systems, including aerial and ground drones, as well as missile propulsion and weapons systems.
For more than 70 years the Lang Lang Proving Ground has been used to test cars. Now it's likely to be used to test drones and military hardware.
The iconic site, which has been on the market for the past five years, is now under contract to RedHawke Capital Investments Pty Ltd.
The company is owned by Travis Reddy, founder and CEO of DefendTex, a Melbourne-based defence technology firm with operations in Australia, the US and UK. DefendTex designs and manufactures unmanned systems, including aerial and ground drones, as well as missile propulsion and weapons systems.
The Post understands the sale has not yet been settled, but RedHawke lodged a caveat over the property after signing a contract to buy it on March 18.
After Holden closed its Australian operations in 2020, Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast bought the proving ground for over $33 million. However, it put the site back on the market just a year later after winding up its own Australian operations.
Despite an intensive sales campaign, the proving ground remained unsold for five years. It attracted strong interest from a range of buyers, but several reportedly withdrew after conducting due diligence.
In 2023, a coalition of 21 conservation and community groups urged the State Government to buy the site for conservation, a proposal backed by the Bunurong Land Council.
After Holden closed its Australian operations in 2020, Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast bought the proving ground for over $33 million. However, it put the site back on the market just a year later after winding up its own Australian operations.
Despite an intensive sales campaign, the proving ground remained unsold for five years. It attracted strong interest from a range of buyers, but several reportedly withdrew after conducting due diligence.
In 2023, a coalition of 21 conservation and community groups urged the State Government to buy the site for conservation, a proposal backed by the Bunurong Land Council.
The 900-hectare property forms the central link in the Western Port Woodlands, a nationally significant stretch of coastal forest and the last functional forest remaining in Bass Coast.
Locked behind a three-metre security fence for almost 70 years, the proving ground has become a virtual ark for rare and threatened species once common across the region.
That same isolation and security now make the site attractive to a defence technology company seeking to test systems away from prying eyes.
Neil Rankine from Save Western Port Woodlands said it was disappointing the State Government had not secured the site for conservation.
“The entire site could have been purchased for around $25 million, or just $8 million for the highest-value eastern section,” he said. “That’s small change compared with the tens of billions poured into extending Melbourne’s concrete sprawl.”
Despite its environmental significance, the land is zoned for farming. However, Bass Coast Shire Council is preparing an Environmental Significance Overlay for the woodlands that will include a large part of the proving ground.
Mr Rankine said the group would seek a meeting with the new owner to discuss the site’s environmental and community significance.
Mr Reddy did not respond to a request for an interview, though the Post has heard third-hand that the new owner has said he intends to leave the woodland untouched.
Locked behind a three-metre security fence for almost 70 years, the proving ground has become a virtual ark for rare and threatened species once common across the region.
That same isolation and security now make the site attractive to a defence technology company seeking to test systems away from prying eyes.
Neil Rankine from Save Western Port Woodlands said it was disappointing the State Government had not secured the site for conservation.
“The entire site could have been purchased for around $25 million, or just $8 million for the highest-value eastern section,” he said. “That’s small change compared with the tens of billions poured into extending Melbourne’s concrete sprawl.”
Despite its environmental significance, the land is zoned for farming. However, Bass Coast Shire Council is preparing an Environmental Significance Overlay for the woodlands that will include a large part of the proving ground.
Mr Rankine said the group would seek a meeting with the new owner to discuss the site’s environmental and community significance.
Mr Reddy did not respond to a request for an interview, though the Post has heard third-hand that the new owner has said he intends to leave the woodland untouched.
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How ironic that the site will now be used to build drones, missiles and other death-dealing weapons next to the woodlands where we are trying so hard to protect and sustain life in all its forms.