Onkaparinga Racing Club poster

Poster advertising the the Easter Monday race, 1916.

The Onkaparinga Racing Club (later Oakbank Racing Club) was formed in 1875, and the Onkaparinga Handicap Steeplechase was first run on 17 April 1876. The race was held on land leased from the Johnston family who ran the brewery J & AG Johnston at Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills. The Onkaparinga Handicap Steeplechase later became known as the Great Eastern Steeplechase, named after the nearby Great Eastern Hotel situated on the Great Eastern Road.

The three-lap steeplechase course, almost five kilometres in length, is acknowledged as gruelling for competitors, with challenges presented by over 20 jumps, including a 'fallen log' jump. By the early 1880s, the annual Oakbank race was held on Easter Monday, and races were eventually held on the preceding Saturday as well. The Oakbank Races have become Australia's biggest picnic race carnival, with many attendees camping near the course for the long weekend.

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