Imagine losing your licence due to speeding on a public highway, then building a racetrack on your sprawling farm. Well, this is just what Dean Wills did.
The former boss of Coca-Cola Amatil was like many rich retirees and enjoyed a vast collection of sports cars, so when Wills lost his licence, he decided to live many motoring enthusiast’s dreams by building a racetrack in his ‘backyard’.
Well not really a backyard, but on his sprawling farm at Kulnura no less.
Much like a country road, the track features no ripple strip kerbing, barriers or sand traps throughout its 5.1Km, 22 corner layout and straights measuring 550m each, though recommended speeds for turns are littered around the course.
Wills owned a myriad of exotic sports cars including a Ferrari Testarossa in which he lost his licence in on the Pacific Highway, but probably had it returned by the time the circuit was completed three-years later.
Cost is unknown, but a safe bet is a couple of million to live out a boyhood dream as Wills later stated “We don’t do lap times, the only way we measure it is how long the smile lasts.”
Many A-list drivers have enjoyed laps at what is dubbed The Farm including MotoGP champion Casey Stoner, multiple Formula 1 world champion Jackie Stewart and the ‘Wollongong Whiz’ Wayne Gardner.
Not only is used as a personal track, but manufacturers have conducted road tests at the facility and new model launches, while New South Wales police also use the slice of tarmac to practice high-speed pursuit tactics, including road spikes.
Recently, the circuit has been highlighted again through Google Earth due to inquisitive members of the public searching the world for hidden gems such as The Farm.