Fashion, fizz, fun – and a day off for all

11:49am Friday 14th December 2007

Glamorous outfits, champagne, and prize money of AU$5.1million up for grabs - I could only be at the celebrated Melbourne Cup in Australia, one of the world's greatest sporting events.

I've been to Australia before and Melbourne is a city that always rises to the big occasion, hosting the Australian Open Tennis and the Australian Grand Prix - but it's the Melbourne Cup that's on every Melburnian's lips.

I was here to find out what all the fuss was about.

Held at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday of November (Australia's most famous Tuesday), the Emirates Melbourne Cup is the centrepiece of the Spring Racing Carnival when racing fever grabs the state of Victoria and more than 769,000 people flock to races held over 50 days.

It is hard to convey the sheer scale of the Melbourne Cup. The nation comes to a standstill to watch the races on Cup day - now a designated public holiday - and even those who don't usually follow the horses or bet have a flutter.

With a 144-year history, the Cup is also one of Australia's largest social events and has, in recent years, attracted some of the world's most glamorous celebrities, including Eva Longoria and Kate Bosworth.

Not to be outshone by such glitterati, I spent my day at the Cup in style, lapping up the hospitality of the International Lounge, a new facility located in the Birdcage entertainment marquee.

You won't go without in this ultimate entertainment marquee - buffet lunch, morning and afternoon tea and full beverage service is available throughout the day. Even better, the fabulous lounge boasts great views over the racecourse.

The Melbourne Cup is not just about the racing, it's about bringing together everything that Melbourne does best - fashion, style, sophistication, great food and wine.

While the undisputed heroes of the Carnival are the stars of the turf, the accompanying fashion frenzy that seizes Melbourne during Spring Carnival season is truly spectacular. The race-going public has embraced the event; last year they splashed out on 47,960 hats, 39,578 pairs of shoes and 22,321 handbags!

While some racegoers dress up for fun, others take their outfit more seriously. The hugely popular Fashions on the Field has, for more than 40 years, rewarded women - and more recently men and children - for dressing with beauty and flair. In 2005 the competition provided a record AU$250,000-worth of prizes!

The event gives fashion designers and milliners from around the world the opportunity to showcase their creations, - and participants take it very seriously.

There's no better place to find a new outfit than in Melbourne, one of the world's great fashion and shopping cities.

I whiled away an afternoon exploring Melbourne's historic arcades and laneways, where local designers have opened some gorgeous boutiques selling their own designs and vintage clothing.

Never one to resist a new pair of heels, I headed to Little Collins Street and Flinders Lane to indulge this passion. Cutting-edge threads, jewellery, hats and accessories were also available in abundance.

Melbourne's fashionable inner-city neighbourhoods proved perfect hunting grounds for racing fashion, with Brunswick Street, Fitzroy and Chapel Street in South Yarra packed full of boutiques selling the creations of world renowned designers.

And the city has so much more to offer than just racing and shopping. I headed up Melbourne's tallest building, The Eureka Tower, to test out the latest attraction, Edge, for a vertigo-inducing view of the city!

For £12, you enter a high-tech glass cube which rolls out several metres from the building. Once it is hanging above the city, it gradually becomes transparent and the floor disappears' - not for the faint hearted!

Back in the safety of the tower, Eureka Skydeck 88 - the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere - offered 360-degree views across the city.

Back on terra firma, I checked out the riotous explosion of steel and glass in Federation Square. Very much the cultural hub of the city, it's home to the National Gallery of Victoria's Ian Potter Centre; the Australian Centre for Moving Image; many bars and restaurants, and an invaluable visitor information centre.

Incidentally, racing fans can also check out Champions - The Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame at Fed' Square.

This fascinating museum preserves the heritage of horse racing in Australia and brings the stories of past winners to life.

See the story of Bart Cummings, who trained 11 Melbourne Cup-winners, and learn about the anatomy of a horse through the skeleton of 1890 Melbourne Cup winner Carbine.

Federation Square is the perfect spot to order a coffee, sit back and watch the locals go about their business. If you can prise yourself away, the Melbourne Museum, trendy beachside suburb of St Kilda, Melbourne Aquarium and the Royal Botanical Gardens are all well worth a visit.

Then there's the food. My last visit to Melbourne was just two years ago, and I couldn't believe how many new places had sprung up in that short time. Melbourne is an epicurean heaven, boasting an astonishing 3,500 eateries in the Central Business District.

New in town is the stylish Nobu Melbourne at the Crown Entertainment Complex on Melbourne's Southbank - fast becoming THE place to be seen in town. As you would expect, it's uber-stylish and packed full of the city's cool set, but the food doesn't disappoint. I opted for the Black Cod with Miso - one of Nobu's signature dishes - which was to die for.

Once I'd had my fill, I wound down with a custom-made cocktail in the salubrious surrounds of Double Happiness, a very cool bar nestled down one of Melbourne's unassuming laneways.

Whatever time of year you visit, Melbourne doesn't disappoint, but the Melbourne Cup showcases the city at its best. From food and wine to the fashion, buzzing atmosphere and, of course, the world-class horseracing, Melbourne is the place to be.

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