Stawell is a small town in Victoria, Australia, about 237km’s west north west of Melbourne. The town was established in 1853, and is well known for its long standing active gold mines.
Horse racing, as a sport, started growing in the early 1800’s, but its true popularity sky rocketed around the 1850’s. That being said, it was shortly after the towns establishment that the racecourse was established too. Stawell is specifically situated in the Wimmera region of Victoria so the race course is either referred to as the Stawell Racecourse or the Wimmera Racecourse.
Annual Events at Stawell Racecourse
There are around 6 scheduled race days at the Stawell Racecourse. The most popular and most attended horse race event is the Stawell Cup. The others include various mid-week races as well as the Melbourne Cup, Christmas Races, the Grampians Halls Gap Cup, as well as a Summer Racing event.
The Stawell Cup
The Stawell Cup is definitely considered a draw card on the social calendar. People from political betting Australia and across the country make their way to Stawell to enjoy the races. The Stawell Cup takes place annually on Easter Sunday, and with the popular Stawell Gift event happening around the same week you can expect a larger than life city buzz in the air.
A couple years back Ecycle Solutions became the largest sponsor of the race and still holds that title, in fact, this popular horse race is also referred to as the Ecycle Solutions Stawell Gold Cup.
The Stawell Cup is a 2 000m race and is run on Stawell Racecourses 1 600m long track. The track itself has a slight incline between the 800 and 1 200m mark.
Families and large groups of spectators are well catered for. You can expect to see famous musicians take to the stage in performance for the crowds. There are also the popular ‘Fashions on the Field’ competitions that reward the best dressed with great prizes. The different fashions categories include Lady of the Day, Gent of the Day, Miss Teen and Little Miss and Mr.
More for the kiddies, there will be the Kids Eggstravaganza which entails a few fun-filled activities such as an egg and spoon race and the Golden Easter Egg Hunt, both with a variety of prizes to be won. Additional activities for the kids include face painting, jumping castles and the like, so it really is a fun-packed family day for all ages.
Food and refreshment stands will be available throughout the course of the event.
Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to the Stawell Cup can be purchased online as well as at the entrance. General admission costs around $20 a ticket.
Annual membership options are available through the Wimmera Race Club. For a full membership it can cost $70 per person, and for a full membership + one it can cost $120 per year. This membership is not exclusive to just Stawell, it allows you access to 33 races across the Wimmera region at various racecourses. You will also be privy to a wide range of member facilities, special invites as well as a monthly newsletter.