Our Vision: A New Air Rifle Facility for the Community
Building for the future of target shooting in North Sydney
North Sydney Smallbore & Air Rifle Club has been part of the Hornsby Rifle Range community for years, giving people of all ages and abilities a safe, supportive place to take up competitive target shooting. As our membership grows — and as interest in the sport grows with it — we've reached the limits of what our current facility can offer.
We're proposing a purpose-built Air Rifle Facility: a modern, accessible, 10-lane range that sits alongside our existing smallbore range at Hornsby. It's a project designed not just for our members, but for the wider community — schools, people with disability, and the next generation of Australian shooting athletes.
What we're proposing
The new facility has been designed with input from more than a dozen club members and covers:
A facility built for inclusion
Accessibility has been part of this design from the start, not added on afterwards. The layout includes a dedicated accessible car space and an accessible toilet, along with a step-free path through the facility — designed so people with disability can take part fully, on the same terms as everyone else.
This matters beyond our own membership. Our club has an existing connection to the Paralympic Air Rifle team, and a genuinely accessible facility means we can properly support athletes with disability training and competing in the sport — from their first session through to elite competition.
A resource for local schools
We already provide smallbore shooting facilities to students from Shore, Knox Grammar, and Sydney Grammar, and we run monthly Scout nights introducing young people to the sport in a safe, structured environment.
A dedicated air rifle facility would let us extend this further — air rifle is typically the easiest and safest entry point into the sport for younger or first-time shooters, and a purpose-built, accessible range would let us open that pathway to more schools, more Scout groups, and more young people across the North Shore, supporting the next generation of Australian target shooting athletes from their very first session.
What we need
We estimate the project at approximately $250,000 to deliver — covering the range construction, accessible facilities, storage, and the covered link to our existing range.
We're seeking support from local government, community grant programs, and organisations who share our commitment to community sport, accessibility, and youth development. We'd welcome the opportunity to talk through the project in more detail, host a site visit, or provide further documentation to anyone considering support.
Get in touch: North Sydney Smallbore & Air Rifle Club 64 Rosamond St, Hornsby NSW 2077 admin@northsydneysmallbore.com.au
