The Frankston Australian Clay Target Club (FACTC) was officially opened in 1979 when the Australia and Frankston Gun Clubs merged to form one club. Through this amalgamation the FACTC has historical links back to the Nobel Clay Bird Club, which was the first clay target shooting club established in Australia.

In 1977 The Australian Gun Club amalgamated with the Frankston Gun Club to form the Frankston Australian Gun Club.

The Australian Gun Club came into being at Burwood and incorporated both Nobel Clay Bird Club and Blackburn Gun clubs.

The Nobel Clay Bird Club was Australia’s first registered clay target club established on September 9, 1927 at a meeting held at 380 Collins Street Melbourne. The Nobel Clay Bird Club was located at the back of the ICI factory in West Footscray.

Blackburn Gun Club was formed in 1936 and established on the private property of Jack Bryant, in Holland Road, Blackburn. The club continued to operate until the property was sold in 1947.

Vic Frankhauser, a very keen member of the Blackburn club offered some of his land in Burwood Road to the club. The Nobel and Blackburn clubs then merged to form the Australian Clay Target Club. The first shoot was held in September 1948. Dave Watson was president and Aub Johnson secretary. The name was later changed to The Australian Gun Club.

The Australian Gun Club operated at Burwood until 1969 when the council took over the land. For the next seven years, the club shared the Field & Game grounds at Lysterfield before amalgamating with the Frankston Gun Club in 1977.

The first clay target shooting in the Frankston area was conducted on the property of the local Public Bus Line operator in Brighton Street Frankston at the top of Kars Street in the late 1940’s. The growing Frankston population soon saw the land around Brighton Street taken up for housing, forcing the shooters to find another home. (Tom Lucas)

The original Frankston Gun Club began shooting on private property at the top of the Baxter Mount where Hastings road and Moorooduc Roads (Three Chain Road) intersect before more permanent grounds were established at the Army reserve in McClelland Drive Langwarrin. (Tom Lucas)

In 1975-6 the Frankston Gun Club planned to re-locate from Langwarrin to Rossiter Road, Carrum Downs on land leased from the Water Board. It was at this time the Australian and Frankston Gun Clubs agreed to amalgamate (Frankston – Australian Gun Club) and combine their efforts into building the spacious club house and establishing the magnificent grounds that have continued to develop into one of the countries finest clay target shooting grounds. The grounds were officially opened in 1979. The two clubs are known today as the Frankston-Australian Clay Target Club.

Gordon Morgan (President) xxxxxxx (Secretary) Graham Ash, Tony Rowe, Bob DeVries, Dudley Edgerton, Brian Flower, Roy Allen, Tom Lucas, Barry Webley, Bob McGillivray, Ken Rose.

The reputation of the club in known around the world of clay target shooting with many International Shooting teams from visiting countries using the facilities as their training base before major international competitions.