The fifth running of the $1m The Gong will capture the eyes of a region, but if you gaze further infield, you'll notice the extensive excavation work unfolding.

The earthmovers and graders have been laying the foundations for the inside surface or B-grass, which once completed becomes a viable second racing track for the Illawarra Turf Club.

The major initiative, backed by Racing NSW, will ensure the threats of Mullet Creek flooding and meetings being abandoned becoming a thing of the past.

And while the second track is yet to be christened with a name, once the works are completed - and the subsequent upgrade of the main course, it will put Kembla Grange on a level with Royal Randwick, which uses Kensington midweek and Newcastle, where the Beaumont inside meetings provide valuable support.

"Fantastic for the club, a lot of credit goes to Racing NSW for having the foresight and putting the money forward to making this development happen," new Illawarra Turf Club chief exectuive Steve Keene said.

"I know a lot of our trainers are going through a little bit of discomfort with trackwork, but they know the greater cause is so good, they can't wait to see the end product and they know they'll be the end beneficiaries. We haven't had a lot of bad weather to hold it up, it's all progressing really well."

Keene said no timeline has been put on the inside track development, as much will depend on the amount of rain the region receives during the summer.

"Were just going through the earthworks process at the moment, there'll be different levels and drainage will be put in, hoping somewhere by February to March we'll be looking at planting of the grass," he said.

"We won't be rushed, if it takes longer to get it right that'll be to the betterment long-term."

The end product will also have the capability for Kembla Grange to help support the growing trackwork loads of an expanding racing industry with more trainers setting up new bases and spelling farms in the Illawarra and South Coast, as well as take on additional meetings transferred from other clubs.

With this having brand new drainage and a brand new surface, I'm sure that at short notice we could help out the industry in any way and be able to race," Keene said.

"It will really enhance our facility and gives us a chance to complete works on the course proper and transfer meeting to the B-grass."

In the meantime, The Gong day is expected to host a crowd of more than 4000 today.

The race day was established in 2019, won by Chris Waller's Mister Sea Wolf and has endured the COVID era without crowds and then capped numbers, but has emerged to be one of the biggest events on the regional sporting calendar.

Following in the footsteps of 2021 winning trainer Robert Price with Count De Rupee and Illawarra's UFC superstar Alex Volkanovski, Deputy Lord Mayor Tania Brown will do the ceremonial bang the gong duties in the mounting yard once the horses are out on track heading to the barriers.

"I've taken some tips from the experts, I might have to give Alex Volkanovski a call," Cr Brown said.

"I'm debating whether it's a forehand or a backhand swing, with my tennis upbringing to help me out, a lot of pressure, but I'm excited for it. "We want these big events in Wollongong, we want people coming to our region and spend their money here. It's good for the visitor economy and it's good for the community."