Melbourne Cup Day-Nov. 4th--what to plan for the afternoon?

We will be in Melbourne on Nov.4th--Melbourne Cup Day. We have a city tour and are scheduled to get back to the hotel by 1:15 in the afternoon. What are some suggestions for the remainder of the day? I thought about the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant for early dinner (5:45-7:15 p.m.). Don't think we can make lunch from 1:00-3:00 p.m. because of the tour schedule and I don't know if we could be dropped of at the departure point for the restaurant rather than going back to the hotel. Just wondered if shops, museums, etc would be closed. Also since for lunch and dinner we are on our own, can anyone make some suggestions for restaurants?

Would anyone else on the Nov. 3rd tour be interested in joining us for the Colonial Tramcar restaurant early dinner if we make a Nov. 4 reservation?

Thanks,
Ruby

Comments

  • edited September 2014
    Hi Ruby,

    Just very quickly because I'm jet lagged and still have to go into town!

    If you really want to do the Tram Restaurant on 4th November, you need to contact them NOW! I's Melbourne Cup Day and my guess is that everything will be booked out… but you never know. You might be in luck with the early dinner slot because most people will still be recovering from the races. It is a Public Holiday in Melbourne on Cup Day. The city will be full of people from all over Australia and overseas. And that's just for the racing carnival, without counting regular tourists. If you were travelling with anyone other than Tauck, you wouldn't have a bed anywhere in Melbourne that week. (In 2010 there were just under 23,600 hotel rooms in the City!)

    Most tourist venues and shops in the CBD will be open, but the shops will be empty! The National Gallery of Victoria, Australian campus will be open but not the International collection … Tuesday is their rostered day off. (Don't ask!)

    My suggestion is to contact the Concierge at the Langham and ask for restaurant & other suggestions. They might have secret ways and means, too! Alternatively you could watch the world go by from a cosy Southbank bar or bistro. It is the best day to people watch.

    Cheers,

    Jan

    Edit: You can contact the Concierge at the Langham via email. http://melbourne.langhamhotels.com.au/melbourne/
    Explain you are a Tauck guest and your dates, etc.. Past Tauck guests on this trip have reported the service was very helpful!

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