Cottage by the Sea to host Melbourne Cup

THE prize for winning the race that stops the nation is coming to Queenscliff, with Cottage by the Sea locked in as one of the destinations for this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

Starting tomorrow (Saturday, June 10), the 2023 tour will visit 41 destinations, with the route spanning seven countries including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Hong Kong and Japan.

The 21st edition of the annual tour will stop in Queenscliff on October 24, with Cottage by the Sea planning to hold community events on the day.

Cottage by the Sea chief executive officer Adam Wake said the charity was very excited to be part of this year’s Melbourne Cup Tour.

“We look forward to coming together and sharing the magic of the ‘People’s Cup’ with the Queenscliff community.

“We have some exciting events planned to share the Cup with the community and raise some funds for the Cottage, which is essential for a non-government funded charity like the cottage.

“The other big attraction is to help raise awareness of the wonderful work we do on a national and international stage.

“We have a Take a Break program on the day the Cup will be coming to Queenscliff, which is the day before the Geelong Cup on October 24. I’m sure the children here will be very excited to get a chance to hold the gold Cup in their hands and get a photo taken with it.”

Queenscliff will also be part of the Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep, which will see the 24 rural and regional Cup Tour destinations across Australia each allocated a barrier in this year’s Melbourne Cup.

The town that draws the barrier of the winning horse will be presented with a cash prize of $50,000 to put towards a nominated charity for a local initiative – if Queenscliff draws the winning horse, Cottage by the Sea will receive the funds.

It will be the second Melbourne Cup Tour to the Bellarine in as many years, with Portarlington hosting the cup in 2022.

VRC chair Neil Wilson said the record-breaking interest in the 2023 tour highlighted the significance of the Melbourne Cup to people not only in Australia but around the world.

“The $600,000 18-carat-gold Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy is recognised everywhere as the ‘People’s Cup’, and we want it to be accessible to everyone and to support charity fund raising activity in each destination the cup visits.

“As its custodians, the VRC is proud to take it on an annual tour to share the magic of the Lexus Melbourne Cup with country towns, cities, and communities across the world.

“Since its inception, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour has travelled to over 590 communities and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity and community initiatives.”