Every partnership has an origin story. For Charter Keck Cramer and Moonee Valley Racing Club, the story began not on the track, but around a boardroom table as far back as 2012, with a vision for a racecourse that could be so much more than race day.
At the time, Moonee Valley was a much-loved Melbourne institution sitting on a significant, underutilised piece of land. The Club could see the potential for change, but transforming that potential into a workable, fundable, approvable plan required an entirely different kind of expertise. That's where Charter Keck Cramer came in.
Engaged as MVRC's development advisor, our role was to lead the masterplanning and rezoning process that would ultimately unlock the site for mixed-use development, all while the Club continued to operate as one of Australia's premier racing venues. It was a four-year undertaking, and a genuinely complex one. We managed an extensive team of specialist consultants across statutory and urban planning, government relations, architecture, traffic engineering and financial feasibility, reporting directly to the MVRC CEO Michael Browell and Board throughout.
Beyond the technical planning work, part of our brief was to help MVRC find the right partners to bring the vision to life. We ran a targeted, invitation-only international expression of interest process, followed by a detailed Request for Proposal, ultimately structuring a joint venture between the Club and a group of high-calibre partners, industry super funds Hostplus and ISPT, alongside property developer Hamton.
The outcome was a masterplan endorsed for a mixed-use precinct of around 2,000 dwellings, supported by an Activity Centre rezoning that gave the vision a clear regulatory pathway. In commercial terms, the numbers speak for themselves: roughly $100 million in land value created, and a total projected return to MVRC of more than $300 million. But for us, the more meaningful outcome was the relationship it built. Over four years of working through the detail - the negotiations, the reporting, the inevitable complications that come with a project of this scale - we came to understand the Club, its people and its ambitions in a way that doesn't happen through a single transaction. What began as a professional engagement became a genuine, shared belief in what The Valley could become.
"It's rare to work on a project where you can point to a precinct years later and say, we helped make that possible. The Valley masterplan was one of the most complex and rewarding pieces of work I've been part of and it's given me enormous pride to watch it come to life ever since."
- Peter Hutchins, Chief Executive, Charter Keck Cramer
That's really the reason we've stayed involved ever since, and why, not long after the masterplan work concluded, sponsoring the Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes felt like the natural next step. We'd seen first-hand the scale of transformation ahead for MVRC, and it felt fitting to back the Club not just through advisory work, but through one of its biggest days on the racing calendar too.
This year marks our 11th year as naming rights sponsor of the Moir Stakes, and it remains one of our favourite fixtures on the calendar. The Moir has always struck us as a race that mirrors the way we approach our own work. It's fast, it's precise and everything comes down to the preparation done well before the gates open. There's something satisfying about backing a race built on exactly the qualities we try to bring to every project.
Of course, the story doesn't end with a masterplan endorsed nearly a decade ago. The Valley is now in the midst of realising that vision, with major redevelopment transforming the precinct in real time. Watching that transformation unfold - knowing our team played a foundational role in making it possible - is genuinely exciting for everyone at Charter Keck Cramer who worked on the original project, and for many who've joined us since.
Charter Keck Cramer has spent 56 years providing independent property advice across Australia, and projects like The Valley are exactly why we do what we do. It's not just about the technical outcome - the endorsed masterplan, the rezoning, the joint venture structure - it's about being part of something that reshapes a place for the long term and staying close enough to see that vision through.
We're proud of the role we played in getting The Valley to where it is today, we're excited to watch The Valley of Tomorrow continue to take shape over the coming months. Eleven years of sponsorship in, it's still a thrill to be part of it and this next chapter might be the best one yet.
