Clay Shooting Cecil Park

Cecil Park is a semi-rural pocket near Liverpool and Fairfield, and for clay shooting it has one big drawcard: the Sydney International Shooting Centre on Range Road, built for the shooting events of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Two operators run group sessions there, Hitting Targets and Cecil Park Clay Target Club, so bucks parties, hens groups, birthdays and work teams can fire real 12-gauge shotguns on an Olympic range without holding a licence. The whole thing is set up for first-timers, with instructors doing the heavy lifting on safety.

What a session at the Cecil Park range involves:

• Getting there: drive, as Cecil Park is car-based with parking on site. The range is off Elizabeth Drive near the M7, roughly 50 minutes from the CBD.
• The experience: Hitting Targets launches 11cm clay targets at up to 110km/h, with one-on-one coaching at the stand. Cecil Park Clay Target Club gives your group sole use of the layout, and only instructors handle live ammunition for unlicensed shooters.
• Group size: Cecil Park Clay Target Club takes a minimum of 10, split into squads with an instructor each. Hitting Targets runs private groups from small numbers up to 100.
• Booking lead time: the club locks in final numbers three days before, and any payment on the day is cash only. Its P650 form needs to be completed and printed in advance.
• Food and drinks: snacks and refreshments are available on site through the club, and a self-serve barbecue can be arranged when you book. Hitting Targets groups should ask about food when enquiring.

Hitting Targets is led by director Suzy Balogh, who won gold at the Athens 2004 Olympics, and prices start from $1,750 per group. Cecil Park Clay Target Club, which also runs a competition program in trap and skeet, starts from $120 per person. Both require participants to be 12 or over, and both go ahead in most weather, so it pays to dress for the day rather than hope for sunshine.