Burrumbuttock’s Brendan Mott (right) with last year’s winning jockey Robbie Dolan. The small Riverina village’s 150th celebrations will get the golden touch when the Melbourne Cup Tour brings excitement to its historic milestone event in October this year. Photo: Brendan Mott.
“My cup runneth over” is a sentiment being felt by organisers of Burrumbuttock’s 150th celebrations after the tiny rural village was announced as one of the 36 destinations to be included in the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour which kicked off in New York this week.
The extraordinary journey of the “People’s Cup” starts in Australia when it arrives in Griffith on 19 June and travels across the country until Tuesday 4 November, giving fans and communities the rare opportunity to see the prestigious prize up close and feel the magic of Australia’s most iconic race.
Burrumbuttock’s chairperson of the 150th celebrations organising committee, Ash Lindner, said he felt it was a major coup for the small community and would be a game changer for their weekend event on 4 and 5 October this year, adding a touch of prestige to the festivities while showcasing the town’s history and spirit.
Burrumbuttock was first settled in 1839 as part of the Burrumbuttock Station, a vast 30,000-acre property stretching from north of Jindera toward Walbundrie and east toward Brae Springs Station. The arrival of settlers was significantly influenced by the Robertson Land Act of 1861, which encouraged land ownership and development in the region.
By the 1870s, a large number of German settlers from South Australia made Burrumbuttock their home, shaping the town’s cultural and architectural heritage. The Holy Cross Lutheran Church, dedicated in 1877, stands as a testament to this strong German influence.
“This is going to make a real point of difference for our 150th celebrations,” Mr Lindner said.
“Both Walla Walla and Jindera have held anniversary events like this and they were absolutely brilliant, but this will put a different spin on ours.
“The Victorian Racing Club even made it happen for our weekend event which has been totally amazing.”
The 18-carat gold Melbourne Cup trophy is now worth a record $850,000.
“There’ll be plenty of security with it and the Keeper of the Cup will be here but apparently if you glove up there’s opportunities for photos holding the Cup and that will be an incredible opportunity for many people in the district.”
Plans for the anniversary weekend include a street parade featuring vintage machinery, a retrospective fashion parade, old-fashioned games, a bush dance under the stars and a range of other activities.
Mr Lindner said the announcement of the Cup’s presence would bring a fresh perspective to the celebrations and has sparked a great deal of excitement.
“We are going to have to put our thinking caps on now to work out how we can best feature it.
“We’ll have to really think about what sort of vehicle we could actually have leading the parade with the Melbourne Cup in it.
“Should it be on horseback, horse drawn cart or vintage tractor?”
He said the group were also looking at obtaining black and white footage of the fashions on the field at the Melbourne Cup to enhance their retrospective fashion parade, a ticketed event which would be held in the village’s iconic public hall.
“It was one of our committee members, Brendan Mott, who flagged the possibility of having the Cup here. He said he’d seen an application form and suggested he have a go at it and we said, ‘Yep, no harm in trying’.
“It was that simple!”
Burrumbuttock will also be eligible for The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep which will feature 24 rural and regional destinations on its itinerary. Each town will be allocated a barrier in the Lexus Melbourne Cup, giving them the chance to win $50,000 for a charity of their choice.
Victorian Racing Club’s CEO Kylie Rogers said she was excited for the journey ahead of this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.
“The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour is one of the most significant ways we can share the excitement and legacy of the Lexus Melbourne Cup with communities across Australia and beyond.
“We’re also proud of how the Cup continues to reach and inspire the next generation – through visits to schools and engagement with young Australians, we’re ensuring the story and spirit of the Melbourne Cup lives on for years to come.”
2025 LEXUS MELBOURNE CUP TOUR DESTINATIONS
- Victoria – Melbourne, Gunbower, Swan Hill, Warracknabeal, Donald, Bridgewater of Loddon, Nagambie, Euroa, South Gippsland, Traralgon, Moe, Cobram, Ballarat, Geelong, Bendigo
- New South Wales – Sydney, Griffith, Avoca, Murrumbateman, Walcha, Burrumbuttock, Berrigan
- South Australia – Adelaide, Gawler, Strathalbyn
- Western Australia – Perth, Kalgoorlie, York, Toodyay
- Queensland – Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Normanton, Basalt, Winton.
