Amongst Victoria’s mallee country lays Charlton, a rural township and the heart of a tight knit community devastated by the floods of January 2011. Eager to unite the community, Charlton welcomed the Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour with open arms.

The day began on the main street, where the Cup literally stopped traffic as Melbourne Cup Carnival. Just nine months prior, this street was flooded – a far cry from the smiles of today’s residents who were all keen to get up close and personal with the iconic trophy.

The day’s first event, saw the Senior Citizens group give the Tour party’s arrival a standing ovation.
Local residents dressed in their racing finery and listened intently to the stories of three-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey, Jim Johnson (Gatum Gatum, 1963 and Rain Lover, 1968-69) and veteran racecaller, John Russell.

In time for lunch, the Tour party arrived at Charlton’s Traveller’s Rest, a town square where more than 300 locals, including school children and families, enjoyed a BBQ and photo opportunities with the Cup.

Students rode some fantastically decorated hobby horses, which came from a true Picasso stable!

A tour of the town’s landmarks, including the iconic REX Theatre and grain depot provided us with a great entrée to the evening event, a community cocktail party at the Charlton trotting track.

The night saw people from across the district attend, and a little Cup magic was delivered when the Melbourne Cup Community Fund made a donation to cover the purchase of medical equipment, including a defibrillator to be used by the Charlton sporting community, including the Charlton Football and Bowling Clubs.

After a long fun-filled day, the Tour party laid to rest to gear up for its adventure to Kerang, a community waiting for the Cup’s arrival in eager anticipation.