The Spring racing season is upon us as we ponder what is jumping the gates in this year’s fashion stakes for the 2018 Melbourne Cup.
Don’t be distracted by worrying about your clothes come Tuesday, November 6, it’s more important to find the best place for bubbles and bets! As jockeys contemplate their weight and owners the gate draw, us mere mortals don fascinators and suits to do justice to the race that stops a nation.
There are three tips that most fashionistas agree on:
It’s not a nightclub – if you would wear it to a nightclub, don’t wear it to the races! There’s a time and place for skin tight, satin mini dresses and it’s not 11am trackside at Flemington.
Don’t wear uncomfortable shoes and be one of those people walking around barefoot at the end of race day. If you are buying new shoes, make sure you have time to wear them in before the Cup, otherwise they will be excruciating after a couple of hours.
Shirt collar too tight? Dress not fitting right? Make sure not to wear ill-fitting clothes, it may be one of your wardrobe favourites but is it comfortable? It is more important you make the best bet, rather than the best fashion statement.
It’s time to round the clubhouse turn, be a front runner and pick up the pace to cross the finish line in style, at one of these stables around the country to celebrate the Cup:
Cheers at The Cuban!
Queensland Cup Celebrations:
Unwind in style, soaking up warm Noosa sunshine and stunning beach panoramas at View by Matt Golinski, perched on the second floor of Peppers Noosa Resort & Villas. Start Cup day with cocktails and canapés on arrival, followed by a delicious three course menu, drinks package, fashion parade, big screen coverage, sweeps, prizes and more.
Expect dishes from Matt’s new Spring menu that launched at Peppers in late September, showcasing seasonal produce grown in and around the Sunshine Coast region, with an ever-changing selection of dishes to tantalise all tastes. Trip the light fantastic with live music as punters celebrate being in the money, after their horses negotiate the track successfully without inquiry.
Ride into the Melbourne Cup at The Cuban on Elizabeth Avenue in Broadbeach, for a Cuban-style banquet and welcome drink on arrival. Get your Latin American groove on while watching the big race on three screens, then samba to live music by Thomas Stowers, playing all your favourite RnB, Motown and Soul classics.
Best dressed prizes and complimentary sweeps form part of the daily double at this restaurant nestled in The Oracle conclave, where the flavours and taste sensations of Cuba take diners on an adventure to a land of colour, culture and coffee, with a Havana rum Mojito in hand.
Ceviche at Republica.
Victorian Venues to Toast the Cup:
Don’t forget to dress up for Cup celebrations at Republica on Jacka Boulevarde in St Kilda – best dressed wins a magnum of wine! This cool and chic venue is testament to the Melbourne foodie lifestyle of fun, fresh and funky from its location in the Sea Baths complex overlooking Port Phillip Bay – where on November 6 there will be multiple big screens to watch the race.
Enjoy a moreish array of antipasto, choice of five mains, salad, chips, sweet treats and cheese, along with a glass of bubbles, as runners sprint towards the finish line to claim the silverware for 2018. We hope you are all in the money, as guests remove their blinkers and pick up the pace as afternoon turns to evening.
For those who can’t make it to the track, the doors are open at Wild Cattle Creek Estate in Seville to raise a glass while watching one of the biggest traditions in Australia. Study the runners’ form and the restaurant’s new Spring season a la carte menu while taking in vistas of the gorgeous vineyards of the Yarra Valley, with a glass of estate wine or cheeky cocktail in hand.
This well-known restaurant has a distinct cottage feel of timber floors, exposed brick, open fires and chandelier lighting inside, or chill out and wine down on the outdoor verandah, where fresh country air and rolling hills in the distance set the mood for a fun-filled day for maidens, broodmares, fillies and colts alike.
Roast Linley Valley Pork Belly at The Stables Bar.
Western Australian Melbourne Cup Venues:
Housed in one of Perth’s original horse stables, The Stables Bar on Hay Street is an ideal city venue to celebrate the country’s most prestigious annual horse race. Party in style at this laneway venue with a sophisticated outdoor bar area, where guests can take in a panoramic view of the city skyline and be transported away from hustle and bustle in a landscaped oasis of a cobblestone courtyard.
Celebrations jump the starting gate with canapes, champagne, prizes, live entertainment and sweepstakes. Get a group together and join the fun from 10am with tickets including two drinks on arrival, rotating canapes and DJ music, while after 3pm the venue is open for a public party that is sure to rip up the racetrack turf.
Put a spin on the 2018 Melbourne Cup with 360 degree city views from Perth’s only revolving venue at C Restaurant, on the 33rd floor of St Martins Tower on Georges Terrace. A decadent three course lunch with a glass of Bollinger on arrival awaits, with viewing screens throughout the restaurant so guests won’t miss a minute of trackside action.
Score a trifecta in the sky and enjoy a day of races, raffles, delicious food and drink…whether an apprentice or master, take a daily double and hope for a fast track come November 6.
Melbourne Cup Venues in New South Wales:
Celebrate Melbourne Cup by the sea at the Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific in Seasaltrestaurant, on Pine Tree Lane in Terrigal. Just a short stroll from the beach and renowned for dramatic ocean views, take in crashing waves seated in elegant surrounds of broad arches, stylish wooden floors and floor to ceiling windows. Kick up your hooves with canapes around the pool deck to get things started, before lunch and dessert at Seasalt, along with sweepstakes, lucky door prizes and a front row seat in front of the big screens.
Gallop on in for a day of fun and fashion at Redoak Boutique Beer Café on Clarence Street in Sydney’s CBD. Offering a quinella of options for Cup celebrations, choose to indulge in a three-course lunch, or graze on platters and canapes with beverage packages also available, including icy cold craft beer and wine.
Study the odds to make the best bet, or opt for house sweepstakes, while relaxing in the café’s stylish interior of timber furniture, high ceilings and gold pendents casting ambient light, creating an inviting space to watch the horses take the home turn and cheer on this year’s Cup winner.
Cup Celebrations in South Australia:
Proudly supporting Adelaide Koala & Wildlife Hospital, join racegoers at Woodstock Coterie on Douglas Gully Road in McLaren Flat for their Melbourne Cup Charity Luncheon. Encompassing Mod Oz dining amid a quintessentially native Australian backdrop of surrounding gardens and shrubbery, relax in a décor of earthy toned walls and glass doors adding rustic charm to a modern setting.
With $10 from tickets going towards helping our furry friends, expect to see Honey the Koala pop in to say hi and thanks for your support, while you enjoy a three-course lunch and three-hour drinks package, along with race day sweeps, live race coverage and prizes for the best dressed.
Enjoy live entertainment in the Tanqueray Gin Garden after watching the race that stops the nation at the Edinburgh Hotel and Cellars on High Street in Mitcham. Be greeted with a glass of Chandon on arrival followed by a three-course lunch, with choices such as roasted Coonawarra lamb rump with Middle Eastern pearl couscous salad, roasted pistachio and eggplant; or wholegrain mustard crusted Terra Rossa sirloin, with roasted garlic creamed potato and Shiraz glaze.
Housed in a beautiful heritage-listed Victorian building, this contemporary restaurant in the heart of town, is a popular destination venue for South Australian locals to relax in the sunny beer garden – the largest alfresco area in Adelaide – while unwinding with a drink of choice from an extensive wine and beer list.
We hope you have an amazing race day!
