Premier

Melbourne Cup Tour Kicks Off

04 June 2018

The Andrews Labor Government today launched the 16th annual Melbourne Cup Tour that will see the prestigious Cup visit towns across Australia and the globe.

The tour will include Shepparton, Nagambie, Skipton, Wodonga, Portland, Camperdown, Stawell, Wangaratta and Goornong in Victoria.

The tour provides local communities, councils, schools, hospitals, aged care centres and other organisations with an opportunity to raise funds for local causes.

For the first time, the Cup will also travel to the United Kingdom and Ireland to celebrate 25 years since Irish thoroughbred Vintage Crop became the first northern hemisphere-trained horse to win the Melbourne Cup.

Over the past 16 years, the Cup has travelled more than half a million kilometres, visiting around 400 cities and towns, and iconic Australian sites such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru.

The 2018 Melbourne Cup is made of 18-carat gold and worth $200,000.

The tour will conclude in Melbourne on Saturday, 3 November, ahead of the 158th running of the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, 6 November.

In 2017, Melbourne Cup Carnival delivered a gross economic benefit of more than $444.5 million to the Victorian economy, an increase of $17.5 million from 2016.

More than $40 million was spent on commercial accommodation, with $57 million spent on fashion and retail shopping.

The carnival provides employment for around 20,000 staff and contractors working for more than 900 companies at Flemington in the lead-up to and during the events.

Since 2014, the Labor Government has provided almost $13.37 million for 13 infrastructure projects and four race day events at Flemington Racecourse from its Victorian Racing Industry Fund – including the new $135 million grandstand, which will open for this year’s carnival.

The racing industry in metropolitan Melbourne generates more than $1.5 billion for the Victorian economy annually and helps to sustain more than 13,950 full-time equivalent jobs locally.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Racing Martin Pakula

“The Melbourne Cup is an iconic part of our culture and the tour is a fantastic opportunity for communities to see the Cup and raise money for local causes.”

“We’re proud to support the world-famous Melbourne Cup Carnival – it employs thousands of people each year and is the biggest economic generator of any sporting event in Australia.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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