The history of “the Tan”

One of the treasures of Southbank is the Tan, a track that winds along the edge of the suburb for about four kilometres.

It encircles the Royal Botanic Gardens and Kings Domain, and the gravel trail is entirely off-road. It features gentle slopes alongside a steep 300m climb up Anderson St in South Yarra and has distance markers every 250 metres.

The Tan was established in 1901 as part of Alexandra Avenue and was extended to the Shrine of Remembrance in 1935.

Why is it called the Tan?

It is believed to derive from its original 1900s use as a tanbark horse-riding track when crushed tree bark was used in leather tanning, a major industry in industrial Melbourne. However, some continue to believe that it is a shortening of the term botanical.

While today it is predominantly used for running and walking, from the early 1900s until the 1950s it was mainly used for horse riding and the area contained stables where horses were maintained and hired out for the many riders in the area.

By the 1930s many found that a brisk canter on horseback (preferably in the morning) was beneficial and led to an increase in the number of riding schools. It was relatively inexpensive to hire the horses and to pay for teaching.

Riding was very important for the many women in the area, who dressed in fawn breeches, black coats and boxer hats, although the younger riders favoured informal dress for the Tan.

The area along the track was subject to flooding and had an uncertain (and sometimes treacherous) surface. Many misfortunes occurred, including an occasional death. In 1937 a young local woman out riding was crushed against an electric pole after her horse bolted.

But World War Two changed everything. It was no longer commercially viable to maintain stables. The trouble, of course, was the soaring cost of feeding and stabling hacks and the last venture closed its doors around 1960.

The Tan continued to be improved through and beyond the 1960s and now includes two digital clocks installed in 2020 that show the top ten Fastest Men and Women. It continues to be extremely popular, and many argue that it is a world-class asset to Melbourne and Southbank. •