Flemington is definitely Australia’s best known racecourse as it is home of the Melbourne Cup, the race that stops a nation. Flemington in central Melbourne is where races were held in 1840, on the river flats of the Maribyrnong River. At the time, Melbourne was a town barely five years old and just starting to boom, largely due to the gold strikes in nearby Bendigo and Ballarat. Flemington then developed along with Melbourne. Flemington is Australia’s oldest race course, and in 2006 was placed on the National Heritage List. Located just 15 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD, Flemington is firmly on the tourist map, although many tourists come to see the famous rose gardens rather than the horses!
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