Turtle Traffic was proud to return as a sponsor and traffic management partner for the 2026 Albany Classic “Around the Houses,” held across the WA Day long weekend on Saturday, 30 May and Sunday, 31 May 2026.
This year’s event was particularly special, marking 90 years since Albany hosted Australia’s first “around the houses” motor race in 1936. Thousands of spectators gathered throughout the Albany CBD to celebrate the milestone and watch more than 140 drivers take on one of Western Australia’s most distinctive street circuits.
Operating from its regional Albany depot, Turtle Traffic helped manage road closures, detours, pedestrian movements, signage and emergency access throughout the event.
Celebrating 90 Years of the Albany Classic
The Albany Classic “Around the Houses” traces its history back to the Albany Tourist Trophy, first staged in 1936. The original event was inspired by European street races and took competitors through some of Albany’s best-known streets and landmarks.
Today, the Albany Classic continues that tradition by transforming the heart of the CBD into a temporary motorsport circuit overlooking ANZAC Peace Park and Princess Royal Harbour.
The event is hosted by the Albany Classic Motorsport Club and the Vintage Sports Car Club of WA, with support from local businesses, volunteers, sponsors and motorsport organisations.
From vintage wire-wheel vehicles and post-vintage classics to open-wheel racers, historic touring cars and big-cube muscle cars, the weekend provides spectators with a close-up look at vehicles representing many different eras of Australian motorsport.
Our Role in Albany Event Traffic Management
Turning busy public streets into a functioning motorsport circuit requires far more than placing a few barriers around the course.
Road closures, detours, pedestrian access, emergency routes, business access and changing traffic conditions must all be considered before the first vehicle reaches the starting line.
Before the event, Turtle Traffic’s Albany team planned the closure points, detour routes, restricted-access areas, pedestrian movements and emergency access arrangements required across the CBD. The team then supported those arrangements with controllers, signs and barricades during the weekend.
Our work included:
- Traffic management planning: Developing practical traffic arrangements for road closures, detours and restricted-access areas throughout the Albany CBD.
- Qualified traffic controllers: Positioning trained personnel at key entry points, intersections and pedestrian areas to manage vehicle and foot traffic.
- Signage and road safety equipment: Installing compliant signs, barricades and other traffic control equipment to clearly communicate changed conditions.
- Pedestrian management: Helping spectators move safely between viewing areas, festival activities, businesses and surrounding streets.
- Emergency access planning: Maintaining appropriate access arrangements for emergency services throughout the event.
- Stakeholder coordination: Working alongside event organisers, authorities and other project partners before and during the weekend.
Street-based events become more complex when road closures redistribute traffic, large crowds move close to the roadway and access must be maintained for businesses, residents and emergency services. These factors need to be considered during planning, implementation and event-day monitoring.
Highlights From the 2026 Albany Classic
The 2026 event delivered a fitting celebration of Albany’s motorsport history.
Thousands of spectators filled the Albany city centre as more than 140 drivers competed across a 20-event program celebrating 90 years of ‘around the houses’ racing. Vehicles competed across five categories: classic sports cars, modern sports cars, historic touring cars, tin tops and pre-1960 sports cars.
While heavy clouds gathered above the city, the rain stayed away for most of the day, allowing spectators to enjoy the action in relatively dry conditions.
The weekend began with the Mt Clarence Hill Climb on Saturday. Eighty-two-year-old driver Dick Ward won the Mt Clarence Hill Climb in his 1967 Fiat Abarth, recording a time of 30.17 seconds.
Away from the circuit, the weekend program included vintage vehicle displays, markets, food stalls and children’s activities, giving visitors more to explore between races.
Why Traffic Management Matters for Street-Based Events
Unlike an event held at a permanent racetrack, the Albany Classic operates within a live CBD environment.
The streets used by competitors normally provide access to shops, workplaces, homes, public facilities and surrounding neighbourhoods. Temporarily closing or restricting these roads means organisers must account for vehicle detours, pedestrian crossing points, business and residential access, spectator movements and emergency routes.
Effective event traffic management helps:
- Separate competitors, spectators and general traffic
- Communicate road closures and detours clearly
- Maintain safe pedestrian routes
- Protect traffic controllers, event workers and volunteers
- Preserve access for emergency services
- Reduce unnecessary disruption to nearby businesses and residents
- Support road authority approvals and workplace health and safety requirements
Every closure, crossing point and detour must operate as part of one coordinated system. Conditions can change throughout the day, so traffic arrangements also need to be monitored while crowds, vehicles and event workers move through the area.
Supporting Albany and the Great Southern
Turtle Traffic’s regional Albany depot supports local traffic management crews, ongoing contracts and infrastructure projects across Albany and the Great Southern.
The Albany depot gives Turtle Traffic a permanent regional base for coordinating local personnel, equipment and project support across events, civil works, utilities, road maintenance and infrastructure projects.
Turtle Traffic hires locally, works with regional suppliers and supports WA communities through donations and in-kind assistance. The company also creates Aboriginal employment opportunities and works with First Nations business partners.
Supporting the Albany Classic helps preserve an important part of Albany’s motorsport history while contributing to a weekend that brings competitors, visitors, local businesses and the wider community into the CBD.
We would like to thank the Albany Classic Motorsport Club, the Vintage Sports Car Club of WA, event volunteers, competitors, sponsors, local authorities and everyone who helped make the 90th-anniversary weekend possible.
Plan Your Next Event With Turtle Traffic
Planning a motorsport event, festival, community celebration or major public gathering requires traffic management that works both on paper and on the ground.
Turtle Traffic supports events across Albany, Perth and regional Western Australia from the planning stage through to event-day delivery. This can include Traffic Management Plan development, road closure and detour design, equipment installation, qualified traffic controllers and on-site coordination.
Turtle Traffic holds MRWA accreditation and operates certified systems under ISO 9001 for quality management, ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 45001 for workplace health and safety.
Contact Turtle Traffic to discuss the road closures, detours, pedestrian access, emergency routes and on-site traffic control requirements for your next event.
About the Albany Classic
The Albany Classic “Around the Houses” is an annual historic motorsport event held in the Albany CBD over the WA Day long weekend.
For event information, future dates and opportunities to participate, volunteer or become a sponsor, visit the official Albany Classic website.