The FIA World Rally Championship first came to Australia, hosted in Perth, Western Australia. Early events featured super-special stages at Richmond Raceway near Fremantle and a service park at Langley Park on the Swan River. Competitors utilized the jumps in Bannister Forest, Langley Park, and Gloucester Park. The rally was praised for its unique road surface, consisting of tiny, smooth round stones that created a ball-bearing effect. Rally Australia was voted “Rally of the Year” in 1995, 1999 and 2000 by the WRC teams.
The 2006 rally, held from 26 to 29 October, was the final one staged in Western Australia. It was cancelled by the Western Australia Tourism Commission after the Australian Labor Party withdrew funding, despite widespread support for the event, which was the largest annual international event held in Perth. After a hiatus in 2007, Rally Australia returned in 2009, based out of Kingscliff in northern New South Wales, and alternated annually with Rally New Zealand for a place on the WRC calendar. The New South Wales state government designated the rally a major event, citing its economic impact on the region. From 2011 the event was relocated to Coffs Harbour. The 2019 event was cancelled due to bushfires.
The WRC rally in New South Wales was enabled by the Motor Sports (WRC) Act 2009, a special Act of New South Wales Parliament designed to last for ten to twenty years of Rally Australia's contract with the NSW government. The event remained bound by all environmental, cultural, and heritage protection acts.
The 2009 event faced significant public protests, with residents objecting to the legislation and believing the event was incompatible with the Northern Rivers’ social fabric and ecotourism reputation. Two race stages were abandoned due to protest activities where rocks were allegedly placed on the road. A race stage marshall claimed protesters threw rocks at rally cars, leading to worldwide media reports, but police later stated there was no evidence to support this claim after lobbying from residents’ group No Rally Group.
In September 2010, amid ongoing controversy, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sports (CAMS) announced the rally would relocate to Coffs Harbour. Rally Australia Chairman Alan Evans stated that the relocation marked the first time a WRC leg had been relocated due to resident concerns. The 2011 Rally Australia event was successfully run at Coffs Harbour under the leadership of Ben Rainsford as Chairman and Michael Masi as Chief Executive.
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