Friday 14 October 2022 03:37 AM A rock wall is all that stands between this year's Melbourne Cup and flood ... trends now
Fears are rising the Melbourne Cup Carnival will be thrown into chaos as flood waters reach the gates of Flemington Racecourse.
Known worldwide as the venue that hosts the 'race that stops a nation', disturbing images on Friday showed brown water already flooding stables within the venue - just metres away from the course itself.
While the official carnival doesn't kick-off until October 29 with the Penfolds Victoria Derby Day, the Cox Plate is scheduled to run at Flemington next weekend.
Flemington Racecourse is close to being inundated with flood waters from the nearby Maribyrnong River
A bluestone wall was built to try and save the racecourse from flooding. It was a controversial decision at the time
The Melbourne Cup Carnival brings hundreds of millions of dollars into Victoria
Footage captured outside the racecourse indicate a bluestone wall is all that is saving the iconic venue from being inundated.
The 2km long, 2.5 metre high wall had been erected by the Victorian Racing Club, backed by the State Government, in the early 2000s in the hope of preventing it ever being flooded.
Fears the floods might ruin track works leading into the Cup have sent shivers down the spines of punters across the country.
'A lot of people here firmly believe cup week is the most wonderful time of the year,' one punter told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.
'Christmas can't compete. Let's hope Huey gives up. If it goes ahead, these Sydney horses should be well positioned. They've had pretty much nothing but heavy tracks up there all year.'
Flemington racecourse was built on the Maribyrnong flood plain itself, with race meetings being held there since 1854.
Construction of the wall had been opposed by some residents, who argued flood waters would instead force the water into new housing developments and industrial estates along the valley floor.
Opponents at the time maintained the stone and wire mesh wall would prevent flood waters from spilling into a 100-hectare natural storage area - the racecourse - forcing it downstream into housing estates like Kensington Banks, and upstream to the Edgewater estate and even as far away as Maribyrnong Village.
In May 1974, the entire course was flooded with a pinball machine from the nearby Angler’s Tavern - which on Friday was under water - reported to have floated downstream to the 1400m chute before being relieved of its coins.
Since then the river has broken its banks almost a dozen more times.
Stables with Flemington Racecourse were underwater on Friday
