Horses, hats and history

For those planning to fly to Melbourne this November, the one event not to be missed is the Melbourne Cup.

One of the biggest days in the Australian sporting calendar, this historic horse racing event is celebrated as something of a national holiday, especially in the city of Melbourne, with crowds in excess of 100,000 flocking to the Victoria Racing Club enjoy the day's races.

The Melbourne Cup race day, which is part of a whole racing week carnival, is a social and cultural tradition which dates back 145 years and this year will take place on November 7th.

With numerous hospitality events, unofficial fashion parades, competitions and racing-related activities going on through out the day, there are plenty of activities to keep race-going visitors occupied between the exciting horse and jockey events.

Place a bet, check out the thorough-breds and admire the hats on display, or for visitors who can't make it to the track, watch it all live on the big screen in Melbourne's Federation Square.

For more information check out the Melbourne Cup pages.

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