A rock wall is all that stands between this year’s Melbourne Cup and flood disaster
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Fears are mounting that the Melbourne Cup Carnival will be plunged into chaos when the water reaches the gates of Flemington Racecourse.
Known worldwide as the site of the “race that stops a nation” taking place, disturbing images on Friday showed brown water already flooding the stables within the venue – just meters away from the track itself.
Although the official carnival doesn’t start until October 29 with the Penfolds Victoria Derby Day, the impact of flooding could seriously delay the carnival, or worse.
Flemington Racecourse is nearly inundated with floodwater from the nearby Maribyrnong River
A bluestone wall was built to try to save the racecourse from flooding. It was a controversial decision at the time
The Melbourne Cup Carnival brings hundreds of millions of dollars to Victoria
Images taken outside the racecourse indicate that a bluestone wall is the only thing protecting the iconic site from flooding.
The 2km long, 2.5m high wall was erected in the early 2000s by the Victorian Racing Club, backed by the state government, in the hopes of preventing it from ever being flooded.
Fears that the floods would destroy the track work leading to the Cup has sent shivers down the spine of players across the country.
“A lot of people here are convinced that cup week is the most wonderful time of the year,” one gambler told the Daily Mail Australia on Friday.
‘Christmas can’t compete. Let’s hope Huey gives up. If it goes through, these Sydney horses should be well positioned. They’ve had almost nothing but heavy tracks there all year.’
Flemington Racecourse was built on the Maribyrnong floodplain itself, which has hosted race meetings since 1854.
Some residents opposed the construction of the wall, claiming that floodwaters would instead force the water into new residential and industrial estates along the valley.
Opponents at the time insisted that the stone-and-mesh wall would prevent floodwater from flowing into a 100-acre natural storage area – the racecourse – forcing it downstream in residential areas such as Kensington Banks, and upstream to the Edgewater estate and as far as away as Maribyrnong village.
In May 1974, the entire track was flooded with a pinball machine from the nearby Angler’s Tavern – which was flooded on Friday – reportedly downriver to the 1,400-meter parachute before being freed from its coins.
Since then, the river has overflowed its banks nearly a dozen more times.
Stables with Flemington Racecourse were under water on Friday
Flemington Racecourse in 1974, when the river overflowed it. It was the only time the Melbourne Cup was postponed
Flemington Racecourse (pictured top right) was flooded in 1974. A wall was built to prevent this from ever happening again
In 2004, when the wall was proposed, The age reported that specialists warned that flooding from the river within two months of the first Tuesday in November could mean the cancellation of not only Cup Day, but also Derby Day, Oaks Day and Stakes Day.
The cancellation of this year’s carnival would be devastating to the entire state after Covid-19 lockdowns ruined the past few events.
In 2019, the year Covid closed Victoria, a study charting the impact of the Melbourne Cup Carnival found that the 2018 event gave a record boost to the Victorian economy.
The study reported that economic returns for the state were $447.6 million, a 20 percent increase since 2014.
Steve Rosich, CEO of the Victorian Racing Club, said the club is closely monitoring weather conditions and the Maribyrnong River, but there are “no concerns about Flemington Racecourse at the moment”.
On Friday, hundreds of Maribyrnong residents bordering the racecourse were forced to flee their homes as emergency services rescued distressed people and pets.
Dozens more are trapped in their homes, including an elderly woman.
The SES confirmed that up to 20 people were currently detained on Oakland St alone, with attempts to retrieve them.
A 92-year-old woman has been trapped in her home on River Street since early this morning.
In 2004, when concerned residents protested the wall’s construction, PRC boss Dale Monteith downplayed the potential impact on the wider community.
Horses wade through floodwaters in 1974 when the Maribyrnong overflowed and flooded Flemington Racecourse
Fears mount that the Melbourne Cup carnival could be affected by the floods
A 92-year-old woman has been trapped in her home on River Street since early this morning.
In 2004, when concerned residents protested the wall’s construction, PRC boss Dale Monteith downplayed the potential impact on the wider community.
Mr Monteith said the wall would simply replace 1.4 kilometers of fences, walls and hedges along the track.
‘The Cup has only been postponed once, so what is this about?’ he said at the time.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the PRC for comment.