Daylesford Spa Pistol Club

Victoria Club Profile

At first glance, the name of this Victorian club might conjure up interesting images of shooters sitting in a hot tub enjoying a break after a day at the pistol range. However, as club Secretary Mike Carey explains, the name is a bit misleading. There is no spa and the club is actually located in Blackwood North and is 35km from Daylesford - the Spa Capital of Australia. “The club took the name Daylesford Pistol Club because it was anticipated that most of its members would come from that area. The word ‘spa’ was added because it was also associated with the area,” says Mike.

The club started in 1993. Since that time, the membership has grown from two dozen to 42 - nine of whom are social members. In total, there are 34 men, five women and three juniors.

The club leases the land it is on and the terms of the lease require that all fixtures be temporary. This plays a large role in deciding how to improve and maintain the facilities. Currently, members are in the process of extending the clubhouse by enclosing the area between it and the shooting shed with a viewing window. Other renovations include making the area wheelchair accessible.

The range is 25m and has 15 shooting bays. As soon as they get the appropriate approvals, they would like to add an extra five bays and extend the range to 50m. The clubhouse has ample seating and cooking facilities and a toilet. Because there is no water source on-site, all the water had to be brought in. A water tank was recently installed to ease this burden.

The following events are shot at the range: ISSF 25m and 50m Pistol, ISSF Standard Pistol, ISSF Rapid Fire Pistol, ISSF Centrefire Pistol, NRC, ISSF Air Pistol and 25m Black Powder.

Ideally, the club would like to find a new site for the range. “One that is not on crown land,” said Mike. They’d like to find something that would allow them to introduce Smallbore and other rifle and shotgun events.

When asked what makes the club special, the membership replied, “Us!” A few years ago the members began having a barbecue after the main competition of the day. “What started as a quick bite between shoots has become quite a social event with cakes, biscuits, apple pie and more,” says Mike. The members spend hours sitting around the table talking and listening to the day’s scores. Conversation covers shooting, community events and news. “We have all become good friends who enjoy each other’s company and a bite to eat, instead of just fellow members passing a Saturday afternoon shooting,” he said.

The current President is Paul Jordan, the son of one of the foundation members. The Vice President is Frank Staig.

If you are looking for a weekend getaway that includes a bit of target practice, you can’t go wrong with a trip to Daylesford and a day at the Daylesford Spa Pistol Club.

For contact information check the state branch list here.