How did 'The Tan' track in Melbourne get is name?

Question

How did 'The Tan' track in Melbourne get is name?

Answer 1

Haven't seen it for years, but it was always covered in tan bark to provide the best footing for the horses that were ridden along it. Tan bark is/was a by product of the leather tanning process.

Answer 2

It's just an abbreviation of BoTANical Gardens. Instead of saying I'm going running at the Botanical Gardens, people just shortened it to 'I'm running at the Tan'.

Same process as The Gee (MCG).

Answer 3

I had this exact conversation with my family on Sunday morning when we were walking around the track. We all assumed it was from "BoTANical" until my wise old Mum corrected us and told us exactly what Ozmanic said about the horses and the tan bark.