Day of champagne buckets and meat smokers as Melburnians revel in Cup heat

It was a Tuesday of meat smokers and ice buckets of champagne in the park, Shetland ponies and can-can dancers at parties and innovative outdoor viewing set-ups, as Melburnians who weren’t trackside found their own way to mark the Melbourne Cup.

Perhaps the most unique Cup accompaniment, however, was at Sharon Heffernan’s Toorak home.

Sharon Heffernan (second from left) and husband David (right) enjoying a 10-person gathering plus a special guest upstairs.Credit:Simon Schluter

Ms Heffernan and her husband, David, arranged a small gathering with seven friends at home, duly catered with chicken sandwiches and smoked salmon blini canapes.

Somewhere upstairs sat a replica of the 2017 Melbourne Cup that the Heffernans, keen racing enthusiasts, had received after two horses they co-owned, Johannes Vermeer and Rekindling, finished first and second at Flemington that year.

“We’ve just moved back from living in Dubai for 25 years and we have something like 250 boxes upstairs. The Cup is in one of them, I just don’t know which,” Ms Heffernan said.

Like tens of thousands of others, the Heffernans unsuccessfully entered the ballot for tickets to be two of 10,000 fans trackside this year â€" less than a tenth of a normal year.

St Kilda beach quicky filled up on a warm Melbourne Cup day that nudged 30 degrees. Credit:Paul Jeffers

“Nobody I know could get a ticket either,” Ms Heffernan said.

This year’s race fell at a slightly strange juncture for Melburnians, who escaped a sixth lockdown less than a fortnight ago.

On the hottest day for the city since April, which tipped 30 degrees in some areas, many avoided the parks teeming with people enjoying their newfound freedoms.

Thousands headed down to Mornington Peninsula and the Surf Coast either on Tuesday morning or at the start of the long weekend, others took the opportunity to host small numbers of family and friends at their home.

Neale Philippe chose to start a new tradition by repeating last year’s unconventional Melbourne Cup Day.

In 2020, restrictions forced Mr Philippe and his group of five friends to parkland adjacent to the Yarra River and Royal Botanical Gardens.

On Tuesday, their set-up at the same spot was as good as any: Mr Philippe, the brains of the operation, brought both a barbecue and a meat smoker, solar panels connected to an electricity generator, a television and a meat platter of steaks, chicken drumettes and sausages.

“Other years we’ve normally gone to the track or to a mate’s house. I don’t mind this at all though,” he said.

Not content with just a barbecue, Neale Philippe also brought a meat smoker to his Melbourne Cup picnic.Credit:Michael Fowler

Down the road at St Kilda Botanical Gardens, a group of Middle Park mums enjoyed the first Tuesday in November with a lavish picnic.

Complete with champagne on ice and iPads to watch the race, the group said it was uplifting to see Melbourne come out of a slumber.

“We always do something for the races, it’s something quite special for us,” organiser Paula Barbosa said.

“We’re all mums and used to wearing our trackies this past year. Today we’ve gone quite sophisticated.”

One group at St Kilda Botanical Gardens brought champagne buckets and iPads to watch the race.Credit:Paul Jeffers

Hundreds celebrated in style at luxury outdoor hospitality site The Commons, including host and businessman Bruce Keebaugh and his wife, Real Housewives of Melbourne celebrity Chyka.

“Hearing laughter and glasses clinking, that’s absolutely what this is about,” Ms Keebaugh said. “This suddenly makes the last 18 months better.”

Complete with Shetland pony, dancers, marching band and free flowing Mumm, the exclusive event did not disappoint.

Others turned front lawns and nature strips across the city into gourmet gatherings.

A ticketed event at The Commons in Southbank brought some high-end Melburnians together.Credit:Paul Jeffers

Sharon, from St Kilda West, had seafood platters on the menu as she combined her birthday festivities with the race that stops the nation.

Earlier in the day at Flinders Street Station, the bustle of a normal Cup year was replaced by a slow drip of punters, as those who did snag a trackside ticket largely avoided public transport.

Dressed in bold colours, Justina Chatsen from Carnegie said the sun was the draw card for her today.

“The sun and some bets,” she said

Justina Chatsen from Carnegie at Flinders Street Station on Tuesday morning.Credit:Paul Jeffers

Over in the South Gippsland town of Tarwin Lower, Kara Clarke was enjoying the end of the long weekend by the river with two other families.

The adults were relaxing in the grassy shade while the seven children paddled kayaks, splashed in the water and lounged around. Horse racing was far from the priority, with the group planning some bodyboarding at the beach in the afternoon, followed by some cheese and a few ciders.

Ms Clarke, who lives in Burwood East, was relishing the chance to see the children enjoying themselves after months of lockdown.

“Watching the kids play has been really nice, hearing that laughter,” she said. “I don’t think it’s got anything to do with the horses. I couldn’t care less,“

Foster Exchange Hotel co-owner Adam Wallace said it had been a busy weekend with plenty of Melburnians making the trip, but by the early afternoon the pub was beginning to quieten down as holidaymakers began to make their way home.

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Michael Fowler is a City reporter with The Age. He has previously covered state politics and education. Get in touch: michael.fowler@theage.com.au.Connect via Twitter or email.Erin Pearson covers crime for The Age. Most recently she was a police reporter at the Geelong Advertiser.Connect via Twitter or email.Benjamin Preiss is The Age's regional editor. He was previously state rounds reporter and has also covered education for The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.

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