A Melbourne Cup Retrospective
With the Melbourne Cup 2009 just around the corner sports fans all around the country are once again preparing for what will become a highlight of the year. In the ‘race that stops a nation’ we unite, regardless of age, creed and colour to celebrate some of the best thoroughbred horses in the world.
Who coined the slogan ‘race that stops a nation,’ a step back in Cup history:
After much ‘Googling’ and reading related Melbourne Cup information I found a reference that looks like key to who actually invented the term ‘the race that stops a nation.’The term was coined by no other than Mark Twain when he visited our shores back in the early days of the race and found our involvement with Melbourne Cup extraordinary – even back in the old days.
Here is what he wrote:
“New York to San Francisco, and deeper than from the northern lakes to the Gulf of Mexico; and every man and woman, of high degree or low, who can afford the expense, put away their other duties and come. They begin to swarm in by ship and rail a fortnight before the day, and they swarm thicker and thicker day after day, until all the vehicles of transportation are taxed to their uttermost to meet the demands of the occasion, and all hotels and lodgings are bulging outward because of the pressure from within. They come a hundred thousand strong, as all the best authorities say, and they pack the spacious grounds and grandstands and make a spectacle such as is never to be seen in Australasia elsewhere…”
– Mark Twain, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World
Melbourne Cup, a public holiday for some, a celebration of the good things in life for others!
Melbourne Cup was declared a public holiday in Melbourne as early as 1877. The rest of Australia (including Greater Melbourne) has to flunk the day off work if anyway possible as life is ‘as usual.’ But nothing is ‘usual’ in comparison with the Melbourne Cup because at exactly 3pm on the first Tuesday each November the country stops.
Workers everywhere stop what they are doing and turn to their TVs, their radios or if they are lucky enough to the racecourse at Flemington as they watch (or listen to) the Cup live.
Melbourne Cup day is the unequalled sporting event in the southern hemisphere.
More Melbourne Cup information:
To visiting tourists it becomes clear soon enough that not much happens at 3pm around Australia. Restaurant visitors will have to wait for their beer to be pulled as waiters gaze in admiration and stupor at the TVs.
Shoppers can forget about paying for their wares while the race is in order. As a matter of fact, it is best to stay home or lower your expectations to service on Melbourne Cup day because it ain’t worth worrying why most of Australia stops for a horse race.
Melbourne Cup for punters:
Over 80 percent of adult Australians wager some of their money on the Cup. Many are not betters by default – they simply hope to make a bit on the side. Therefore you will have to beat long lines of betters at the local TAB unless you find alternative ways to bet.
Thankfully you can. Thanks to online betting you can place online berts without having to brace queues and an angry mob who is keen on throwing their money at a bookie. Click here for a peek at your betting odds for the Melbourne Cup 2009 .
About the Author
SKI HOLIDAY Accommodation Australia
|
|
Melbourne, Australia – New Year – 60W x 25H – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $87.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l… |
|
|
Work & Travel Australia: The Essential Guide $0.99 This is the ideal guide for anyone considering a trip to Australia on a temporary working holiday visa.Work & Travel Australia covers everything that you need to know but don’t have time to research:What to do before leaving home, and what you can do when you arrive in AustraliaWhere to go, and how to get aroundGetting the best deal with your phone and bankAvoiding accommodation pitfalls and findi… |