There’s no doubt that the best seats to watch the Melbourne Cup from are at Flemington, but if you’re not one of the lucky 100,000 or so who gets to attend this year, there are plenty of other high-quality places to enjoy the race around the country. These are some of the best of them.
1. The Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne
The Grace Darling Hotel in Collingwood has everything you need for a great Melbourne Cup Day. First and foremost, they have a huge screen on which the big race itself is shown, as well as the rest of the racing throughout the course of the first Tuesday in November. They also run a Melbourne Cup sweep for those wishing to get involved in the action, as well as a barbecue to fulfil all of your culinary needs. Add to that the fact they have a DJ throughout the day and that you can stay there long after the horses have gone home, and this is a great place to spend the entirety of Melbourne Cup Day (and night).
2. Redfern Turf Club, Sydney
The Redfern Turf Club in Sydney might not have all the glamorous bells and whistles that many associate with Melbourne Cup Day, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great place to spend the afternoon. They offer an array of quality, relatively inexpensive food, and great deals on booze also attract plenty of punters. The races are shown all day long on a big screen, and with customers making the most of all the quality food and drinks on offer, the atmosphere here is electric on Cup Day.
3. Mayfair Hotel, Adelaide
There are venues which show the Melbourne Cup, and there are others which truly celebrate it. The Mayfair Hotel falls into the latter of those two categories. Attendees can pay for a package on their rooftop bar and get to enjoy a host of premium beverages, hours’ worth of canapes being shared around the room, and have in the past even had a seafood station. They get people more involved in the racing festivities by organising a Melbourne Cup sweep, and once the food and drinks included in the package have been eaten and drunk, the public is welcomed to the rooftop to add even further to the atmosphere.
4. Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane
It might not quite be as good as the real thing, but if you desperately want to feel like you’re part of the action then Doomben Racecourse might be just the place for you. They pull out all the stops in an attempt to make a trip to Doomben every bit as good as a trip to Flemington, with pop-up bars and restaurants a major attraction, and plenty of screens on which to watch the big race. They also host their own Fashions on the Field, so punters can get as dressed up as they would at Flemington for the big day.
Heading to Flemington to watch the action live is one of the best ways to celebrate Australia’s biggest horse race, but there are plenty of other Melbourne Cup venues around the country that do their best to match it. Whether you’re celebrating the public holiday in Melbourne or find yourself elsewhere around the country, you’re sure to find plenty of places screening the race, and the above four are some of the best of them.
