Award-winning catering service at Hotel Realm. Photo: Supplied.
It’s that time of the year when the guys suit up, and women get to dress up complete with beautiful hats and fascinators to cheer for their favourite horse while enjoying a glass of bubbly and good company.
The Melbourne Cup is the race that stops the nation, and even though Canberrans are far away from Flemington, you can still grab your friends and head out to celebrate in style. Here is our list of venues in Canberra where you can join the party on 3 November and celebrate the biggest social event of the year.
Thoroughbred Park
Head to the Thoroughbred Park to enjoy the day with two-course and three-course meals and beverages, Fashions on the Field competition, local racing and all the action from Flemington on the big screen. Gates open at 10:30 am and local racing starts at 1:00 pm. The cost of general admission is $25.
Bookings can be made on 6204 0000.
Get trackside at Thoroughbred Park Photo: Supplied.
Yacht Club
The Southern Cross Yacht Club on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin provides a fabulous setting to enjoy a platter while sipping complimentary Australian sparkling with a five-course lunch priced at $95 per person. Doors will open at 12:00 pm at each of the Southern Cross club venues (Woden, Tuggeranong and Jamison) with on-site TAB facilities, sweeps and prizes.
Bookings can be made here. For more details contact The Southern Cross Yacht Club on 6273 1784.
Hotel Realm
Enjoy exclusive access to Hotel Realm’s Ostani Bar, Buvette VIP Experience, the Burbury Terrace or Hotel Realm High Courtyards on Melbourne Cup Day for $165 to $185 per person. Starting at 12:00 pm, the price includes four-hour food and beverage packages, champagne on arrival, television screens to watch the action from Flemington and a pop-up bar. Prizes for best-dressed male and female, and best-dressed couple, sponsored by Rolfe Classic BMW, Piper Heidsieck and Hale Spa, will also be awarded on the day.
Bookings can be made via email foodandbeverage@domahotels.com.au or call Hotel Realm 6163 1800 for more information.
Go all out with High Tea at the Hyatt Hotel. Image: Michelle Rowe.
Hyatt Hotel
Get together with family and friends for high tea at Canberra’s Hyatt Hotel on Melbourne Cup Day for $80. Two television screens will be put up in the tea lounge where visitors can enjoy the race along with conversations and nibbles from 1:00 pm onwards.
Bookings via the Hyatt Hotel.
QT
Enjoy the flavours and fashions of Spring Racing at Capitol Bar and Grill at QT Canberra. The lunch package for $135 per person from 12:30 pm onwards includes a three-course feasting menu, champagne on arrival, Fashions on the Field competition, sweeps and a Spring Racing parade.
Bookings can be made via Eventbrite.
Magoo’s Cafe and Bar
Catch the race at a local favourite on the Kingston Foreshore. Open from 1:00 pm, Magoo’s Cafe and Bar are serving fresh prawns and chilled sparkling, and have promised great specials all day.
Bookings are essential and can be made via Magoo’s Cafe and Bar.
Sweeps
Meanwhile, if you are getting together with friends or organising an office sweep, head to racenet for a free printable guide to office sweeps for the 2020 Melbourne Cup at around 6:30 pm on Saturday (31 October). Tickets are given randomly and each ticket usually costs between $1 and $10.
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Why I have such a low opinion of peoples ability to do basic maths:
http://www.news.com.au/national/how-the-odds-of-backing-a-melbourne-cup-winner-really-stack-up/story-fncynjr2-1227108186999
Here’s the ACT Light Rail financed in 3 minutes:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2818336/The-race-stops-economy-Melbourne-Cup-costs-1-billion-year-s-ve-bet.html
…and good for the next 100 years.
What do we learn every year from the Melbourne Cup?
What exactly we “can afford”!
and
You ride the horse long enough round the track and don’t fall off you end up where you started from.
and
Nobody whinges that it is sending us broke, or we shouldn’t do it till we have spent more on hospitals and education.
Lecture theatre streaming live on Bigpond.
And Honkytonks it is for me.
Well you’ll be seeing nothing but day old re-runs if you show up anywhere to watch it on the 2nd November!
How about by the waterside at the Belconnen Arts Centre?
http://belconnenartscentre.com.au/whatson/melbournecup.html
Pretty good looking menu.
(Declaration: I’m on the board of directors there.)
Andrew Wilkie’s office.
All Bar for a chicken and prawn buffet.
See you there
bubzie said :
Sounds like you need to contact the Workplace Ombudsman, as I had to do over Easter.
Personally, I enjoyed working a bar at the races and getting paid $45 an hour. Wish it was a public holiday next year too.
Observations from the day:
I got abused more by older patrons out there than young drunk ones.
The shorter the dress- the more likely the girl is not wearing underwear.
The amount of people who didn’t even watch the Melbourne Cup shows that most people just go out there to get pissed
Can’t stand the gambling industry, but would love to have seen all the gurls battling to keep their dresses decent and their hats on in that wind we had here this arvo. Would have made great entertainment.
busgirl said :
Nope. Standard rate.
Grrrrrr… >:(
therealarigold said :
5 words – weak or non existant union
…me? I spent the day out in the garden…what a glorious day it was today. Horse race? What horse race? Who cares about the horse race?
therealarigold said :
…diddly squat? Didn’t you earn public holiday rates for working today?
nice for some….. meanwhile others worked their backsides off, why was it retail employees got didly squat and all others got the day off a PH….?
You should have had someone out at the races, taking photos of the fashions, live blogging etc. Like yoyu did for the election. I for one would have tuned in. Much more fun that listening to a race 1000kms away!
I may sound like a miser – but I preferred it when it was not a holiday.
Before I would get a half day at work in, then have a chicken and champagne lunch at work, Melbourne Cup festivities at work, a sweep at work and an early finish to my working day.
Now I sit at home and watch Ellen…
Where’s the “I’m an IT contractor, I don’t have a family and I don’t get paid” option?