As Australia’s second most populated city, Melbourne is among the largest metropolitan areas in the country.

Situated in the south-east of the country, Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and retains a large history of cultural and sporting development. The city has evolved into a centre of arts, commerce, education, industry, sports and tourism.

With an increasing population of just under 4,000,000 people, Melbourne has been in the worldwide public eye over the last few years; largely after playing host to the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Labelled the cultural and sporting capital of Australia, Melbourne takes pride in its football, cricket, rugby league and horse racing with numerous sporting events and some of the leading teams in many major sports.

The city contains a plethora of Victorian and contemporary architecture, with plenty of character exuding from its core.

Melbourne Racecourses

Melbourne is absolutely the home of horse racing in Australia. While each state has its big races, the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is the most important period of racing each year. While most people focus only on the Flemington Spring Racing Carnival, Melbourne racing is also held at several other racecourses.

Flemington Racecourse

Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse plays host to the annual Melbourne Cup, a sprint horse racing festival which attracts thousands of visitors every year. Highly regarded as one of the richest turf races in the world, the Melbourne Cup provides a highly lucrative opportunity to make some money online. Online bookmakers across the nation focus on this event and offer plentiful guidance and information to help you to make the best choice

Caulfield Racecourse

Caulfield Racecourse is the home of the Victoria Racing Club and it hosts many major races in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. These include the Caulfield Cup, the Caulfield Guineas, the Thousand Guineas, and the Underwood Stakes. For those who follow more than the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield is considered the home of Melbourne horse racing.

Sandown Racecourse

Not as eminent as Flemington or Caulfield, Sandown Racecourse is nevertheless host to some major races like the Sandown Classic, Sandown Guineas, and Sandown Stakes.

Moonee Valley Racecourse

Moonee Valley Racecourse is one of the closest racecourses to the heart of Melbourne, and it offers Melburnians some major races such as the Manikato Stakes and the prestigious WS Cox Plate.

Geelong Racecourse

The Geelong Racecourse is certainly not a major course, but it does hold the Geelong Cup. Despite being only Group 3 status, the Geelong Cup is considered an excellent guide for Melbourne Cup performance as it has one of the longest lengths out of the lead up races.