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The Spring Racing Carnival and Melbourne Cup - Melbourne
The Spring Racing Carnival is on again. Its a time where fashion and socialising becomes as important as punting. The event incorporates 85 race meetings across the state including The Melbourne Cup & Cox Plate, with 50 days of world-class thoroughbred racing in a stylish party atmosphere the event marks the start of a full social calendar running through to Christmas...
It's that time of year again. I think of it as Melbourne's official slow down towards Christmas. That's what it is like in our household. As soon as the Melbourne Cup long weekend comes about, my calendar is full through to New Years Eve!
Some of my girlfriends wait for this time each year and spend their annual shopping budget in the weeks prior to the four key days at Flemington: Derby Day (Sat), Melbourne Cup (Tues), Oaks Day (Blokes Day - Thurs), and Stakes Day (Family Day, Sat).
It's all about hats, fascinators, dresses, weather, food, drink, tickets, friends and somewhere in there comes horse racing...
Who'd have thought that the most popular locations are in the car park! Hundreds of dollars on tickets to stand around in the car park, in full attire, blistering sun and little shade. Drinking early and feeling very average by the afternoon. That is what I return for year after year after year....
The event is truly national. With 50 days of world-class thoroughbred racing in a stylish party atmosphere, Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival would definitely get my vote for the Australian sporting event of the year.
To offer you some scale to the event, the Victorian Economy was injected over $541 million last year when 729,000 people attended the Spring Racing Carnival.
Some of the key races are watched around Australia and the world, these include:
• The BMW Caulfield Cup at Caulfield,
• Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington,
Across country Victoria, 20 Country Cups are up for grabs at venues such as Ararat, Avoca, Ballarat, Benalla, Bendigo, Cranbourne, Donald, Dunkeld, Geelong, Kyneton, Mansfield, Manangatang, Moe, Murtoa, Sale, Seymour and Mt. Whycheproof.
Whilst there is no doubt that the place in the punters hearts and editorial space is reserved for the stars of the turf, the Melbourne fashion frenzy that is associated with the Cup allows everyone to dress up in their finest at racecourses around the state.
I will be going to the Melbourne Cup this year once again, being a Melburnian I am definitely feeling the buzz here in Victoria. The rest of the nation too are already enjoying the hype behind the horses, the jockeys and the trainers. With everyone looking forward to experiencing the fashion, the colour, the glamour and the entertainment that comes with the Spring Racing Carnival.
(The Spring Racing Carnival was officially launched in Melbourne on Wednesday 1 October and concludes with the running of the James and Son Ballarat Cup on Wednesday 19 November 2008.)
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Melbourne CBD and Suburbs
- Melbourne, with so much to see and do in the centre of this vibrant city, it is best explored in specific sections. For those wanting to shop there is the Central Retail District which is the heartbeat of Melbourne's shopping trade. Bourke St Mall is a popular site for big-name department stores. Not too far away, Melbourne Central is a 20-storey tower with cafes, restaurants and shops. Worth investigating are the Royal Arcade and Centre Way for their specialty shops and historic significance. The Block Arcade is very exclusive, while Howey Place and Australia on Collins are less so, but also popular shopping spots. Chinatown is found in and around Little Bourke St, where Chinese business, commerce and culture have been thriving since the gold-rushes of the 1850s. A popular destination for fans of authentic Chinese cuisine, Chinatown is also home to the Chinese Museum, The Greek precinct, Swanston St is largely a pedestrian mall, overtaken by pavement cafes and shops. Meander along the mall and down the surrounding streets and view some of Melbourne's most historic buildings, such as St Paul's Cathedral, Flinders Street Station, Young and Jackson's Hotel and Melbourne Town Hall.
