Today, an extraordinary thing will happen right across Australia. Approaching three o'clock this afternoon shopping crowds will suddenly thin - and then disappear.
The streets will be deserted in cities like Perth, Brisbane and Sydney - and that phenomenon will carry through to minor cities and towns like Launceston, Moree, Batemans Bay and Cobar.
Those deserted streets will have disgorged the population into clubs and pubs - and in some cases the interior of shops selling electrical goods that include television sets. The one common factor is that huge numbers of people will have congregated with one thought in mind - to watch the running of the Melbourne cup.
What makes this one horse race so special ? That is a good question that has no definitive answer - but to Australians the Melbourne cup can be described as " that one race of the year ". Astronomical sums of money will be placed in bets, in many cases by people who only place a bet once each year - and that bet is on the Melbourne cup.
This year will be something of an anti-climax. Someone was careless at the quarantine station at Eastern Creek in Sydney - and equinine flu entered the country, resulting in horses in New South Wales and Queensland being quarantined - and missing a chance to run in this years cup.
Despite this - rain, hail or shine - huge crowds will line the rails at Flemington and the nation will come to a complete stop while the cup field delivers gain or pain to the punters. There doesnt need to be a reason. As long as there is a country called Australia - there will be the Melbourne cup on the first Tuesday in November !
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