Portarlington Gift to leap out of the blocks in January

THE Bellarine Peninsula will get a glimpse at some of Victoria’s top athletes, with the Portarlington Gift to run for the first time on the first weekend of 2026.

Officially ticked off by the Victorian Athletic League earlier this year, the carnival will be organised by the Portarlington Cricket Club on January 4 and will be a new event on the state’s athletics calendar.

Carnival co-ordinator Peter Emerson said Portarlington was a perfect setting for the new event and was something he earmarked when he relocated to the area five years ago.

“I’ll never forget driving into Portarlington thinking ‘Wow, what an oval, what an awesome location it’d be for a Gift right next to the beach and the caravan park’,” Emerson said.

“It’s a beautiful surface, so I thought straight away it’d be a great setting, which hopefully it will be.”

With the Portarlington Gift on the Victorian athletics schedule, the community will be treated to some of the state’s top runners as they prepare for the renowned Stawell Gift on the Easter weekend.

“People can expect to see absolutely high-quality athletics,” Emerson said.

“Most of these athletes will be running at the Stawell Gift. It’s a bit like getting ready for the Melbourne Cup; you’ve got to run at other races to qualify and get your handicap locked in or improved, and this is one of the events leading up to Stawell along with many others.”

The carnival will include both senior and junior gifts, as well as some unofficial fun races such as children’s events and parent-child relays.

Emerson said the Portarlington Gift would attract hundreds of people, which would deliver a welcome boost to the local community and businesses.

The town will likely already be booming given the carnival lands during the peak summer period.

“It’s going to drag a lot of people to the town,” Emerson said.

“People will stay, they’ll dine, they might get the ferry over.

“It’s also a whole new event for the tourists to have a look at while they’re here.”

Athletes looking to compete must be registered for the professional races, but attendees will be able to sign up for the more fun races on the day.

For more information on the carnival, head to val.org.au/portarlington