First run in 1988, the rally was held in and around Perth, Western Australia until 2006. It was part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1988 and the WRC from 1989 to 2006. The rally returned in 2009 to the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales in early September and alternated with Rally New Zealand for 2010 and 2012 before becoming an annual fixture again in its own right from 2013. From 2011, the event was relocated to Coffs Harbour. As of August 2019[update], the Rally Australia event did not have a contract with WRC to be part of the World Championship beyond 2019.
The event has also been a round of the Australian Rally Championship although not consistently as the ARC technical regulations has been incompatible with the WRC in some years. Similarly the Western Australian Rally Championship has also been a part of Rally Australia during its Perth-based history.
History
The FIA World Rally Championship first came to Australia hosted in Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. Initially a super-special stage was run at Richmond Raceway near Fremantle, before the famous Langley Park stage became revolutionary on the banks of the Swan River. World-famous stages included those in the Bannister Forest, with the Bunnings Jumps drawing thousands of fans each year, and the likes of Muresk, Wellington and Dwellingup areas.
It was praised for its unique road surface, consisting of tiny, smooth round stones that had the effect of driving on ball bearings. Rally Australia was voted "Rally of the Year" in 1995, 1999 and 2000 by the WRC teams.
The 2006 rally held on 26 to 29 October was the final event staged in Western Australia. It was cancelled by the holders of the rally contract, the Western Australia Tourism Commission after the Australian Labor Party, then in Parliament, decided to withdraw funding. This was despite widespread support for the rally, which saw it as the largest annual international event held in Perth.
After missing a year from the 2007 WRC calendar, Rally Australia was heavily expected have a new home from 2008, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland on the east coast of Australia. However without planning approval from the Queensland state government to construct the proposed I-METT facility to headquarter the rally, the event remained on hiatus.
Rally Australia's return was announced for September 2009, with the event to be based out of Kingscliff in northern New South Wales (NSW). The event was to alternate year to year with the Rally New Zealand for a place on the World Rally Championship. The NSW state government designated the rally a major event, citing the huge impact of the event upon the economy of the region. The location for the event, planned to run there every second year until roughly 2020, was agreed upon between Rally Australia directors, local mayors and representatives from Events NSW, a state government tourism body.
Many residents objected to the legislation and also felt that the event was incompatible with the Northern Rivers' social fabric and reputation as an ecotourism destination. As a result, the 2009 event was marked by significant public protests in the lead-up to and during the event. Two stages were abandoned due to protest activities where rocks were allegedly laid on the road prior to the cars coming through the stage. A stage marshall claimed protesters had thrown rocks at rally cars, resulting in worldwide media reports and an outcry against protesters.
In September 2010, as controversy over the event continued in local communities, the Australian motorsport administrative body, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sports (CAMS), which owns Rally Australia, announced that the rally would relocate to Coffs Harbour, where there is an established rally event, the Coffs Coast Rally.
Rally Australia Chairman Alan Evans stated that the event's departure from the Northern Rivers marks the first time a leg of the WRC has ever been relocated due to residents' concerns.
The 2011 Rally Australia event was run successfully at Coffs Harbour under the stewardship of Ben Rainsford as Chairman and Michael Masi as Chief Executive.
