The Early Days

In 1903 the Hobart Croquet Club, ladies only, was established under the auspices of the Hobart Golf Club, which occupied the area bounded by Proctors Road, Sandy Bay Road and Alexander Street.  It was one of the four clubs combining to form the Southern Tasmanian Croquet Association in 1912.

Also in 1903, the Government purchased 250 acres bordering the Southern boundary of the golf course.

At the outbreak of World War I more land was required for training and as an extension to the rifle range.  The Hobart Golf Club was eventually relocated at Rosny on the Eastern Shore and the croquet club, renamed the Sandy Bay Croquet Club, found temporary quarters at Beach House, which for that era was a palatial private hotel with bowling greens, tennis courts and a croquet lawn.

In 1918 the first Sandy Bay croquet lawn was laid out by a Mr T M Lipscombe, Assistant Superintendent of Reserves for the Queensborough Council, and leased to the Club.  There is no record of the actual Opening Day in 1918, in sharp contrast to the Grand Opening of the New Town Club in 1912, which was attended by all the local dignatories.

In November 1920 the Queensborough Council was absorbed into the Hobart City Council and a lease obtained from that authority on a yearly basis.  In 1955 the lease was renewed for 21 years, with a further extension for 21 years, and in 1977 follwed by a further 5 years (1998).

The second lawn was laid in 1963 and the third in 1983, both in spite of public protests that the extensions were allocation of public land for use by a privileged few.