Celebrities abound during the Spring Racing carnival.
By Kath Gannaway
MONDAYITIS? Not on Melbourne Cup weekend! As the Spring Racing Festival gets into full swing many Melburnians take advantage of an extra Monday holiday to plan a very long weekend of fun.
The weekend through to the running of the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday is a great chance to get out and do whatever it is that takes your fancy – time to have a flutter on the horses, buy a new outfit, make time for a bit of a relax or time to spend with family and friends in the lead up to what for most people is a pretty busy time of year.
Melbourne Cup in the Yarra Valley can be about anything from smelling the roses at an open garden or flower show over the weekend to enjoying the nightlife at a Cup-Eve party or concert at a local pub or club, getting together with friends and family for a barbecue in the backyard, or spending some time at getting a pamper at the beauty parlour before putting on the fascinator and heels for day at the Yarra Glen harness races.
It can be simply an early Cup Day breakfast at one of the Yarra Valley’s fantastic street cafes, or a cheese platter and wine overlooking the mountains, valleys and vineyards at a favourite winery – or, better still, discovering a new winery!
Here are a few ideas to scribble down in the diary … to make the most of this year’s Melbourne Cup long weekend.
The Upper Yarra Garden Club has its annual open gardens weekend on 3 and 4 November with six gardens open along the Warburton Highway. Phone 5966 2828 for details.
Marysville Flower Festival is on at the Marysville Golf Course on November 3 and 4, and the Wallace garden is open in Maddens Lane, Coldstream from Friday 2 November through to Tuesday 6 November. The Olinda Garden and Arts Festival is also on at the National Rhododendron Garden – phone 9751 1680.
Keep an eye out for community fetes and festivals, including the Warburton Christian School, which is holding its annual Springfest on the Sunday.
Art also goes on show over the Cup Day weekend with Yering Station presenting Translucent, an exhibition of photography by Sue Clisby and paintings and drawings by Sharon Billinge, as well as their annual sculpture exhibition in the grounds.
The Fluid Lounge in Healesville is having a DJ night on Cup Eve, phone 5962 1800, at Seville Hill Winery there’s a special Cup Day gourmet barbecue with a big screen television to watch the big race – phone 5964 3284, and one of the Yarra Valley’s favourite bands, Ruckus, will have patrons kicking up their heels on the balcony of the The Grand Hotel in Healesville – phone 5962 4002.
Whatever you decide to do to celebrate the Melbourne Cup weekend … hope it’s a winner!
