Manufacturer of the Melbourne Cup, W.J. Sanders, and its sister company ABC Bullion, are pleased to share the Australian destinations in the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, commencing in Cowes, Victoria, following an international visit to Japan and the USA.
The Cup will return to Australian shores on Friday 28 June and make its way around the nation on each side of journeys to New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. Of the 39 destinations in the 2024 Melbourne Cup tour, 31 are on Australian soil, allowing communities an up-close audience with the iconic trophy: a symbol of connection and pride for generations.
The final route was decided after a record-breaking number of applications were received by the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) from towns and cities around the world, and includes visits to Barellan in New South Wales, Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, Nathalia in regional Victoria and Esperance in Western Australia.
2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour – destinations at a glance
- Victoria: Melbourne, Cowes, Rochester, Woodside, Trentham, Alpine Shire, Mt. Wycheproof, Lancefield, Nathalia
- New South Wales: Sydney, Boorowa, Cootamundra, Harden–Murrumburrah, Barellan, Taree
- South Australia: Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Murray Bridge, Clare
- Western Australia: Perth, Wyalkatchem, Esperance
- Queensland: Brisbane, Cassowary Coast, Gregory, Emerald
- Tasmania: Hobart, Rowella
- Northern Territory: Darwin, Tennant Creek, Katherine
- International: Tokyo (JP), New York (USA), Auckland (NZ), Cambridge (NZ), London (UK), Chichester (UK), Dublin (IRE), Galway (IRE)
Manufactured in Australia for the VRC using 1.69kg of ABC Bullion 18-ct yellow gold, and recently independently valued at $750,000, the Cup has been hand-forged by W.J. Sanders since 2016. Each year, the Cup takes over 250 hours to produce at the W.J. Sanders workshop in Marrickville, Sydney. Every team member contributes to making the trophy, starting up to eight months before the race, which occurs on the first Tuesday of November.
“We are deeply honoured at W.J. Sanders and ABC Bullion to play a role in crafting this remarkable legacy,” said Darren May, general manager at W.J. Sanders. “The Lexus Melbourne Cup embodies the true essence of being proudly Australian made and it fills me with immense pride that, in a world of mass production and lean manufacturing, our team of talented craftsmen and women have been entrusted to create this iconic symbol of international sport.”
2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup tour – all the Australian dates and destinations
Dates
Friday 28 June
Sunday 30 June – Monday 1 July CAMBRIDGE (NZ)
Monday 8 July
Tuesday 9 July
& HARDEN – MURRUMBURRAH* (NSW)*
Wednesday 10 July
Monday 15 July
Tuesday 16 – Wednesday 18 July TENNANT CREEK (NT)*
Friday 19 – Saturday 20 July
Tuesday 23 July
Wednesday 24 July
Wednesday 14 August
Thursday 15 August
Saturday 17 August
Tuesday 20 August CASSOWARY COAST (QLD)*
Thursday 22 August GREGORY (QLD)*
Saturday 24 August TAREE (NSW)*
Wednesday 28 August ALPINE SHIRE (VIC)*
Friday 30 August
Sunday 1 – Friday 5 September SYDNEY (NSW)
Sunday 8 September
Friday 13 September
Tuesday 17 September
Thursday 19 – Friday 20 September
Saturday 21 September
Sunday 22 September
Friday 4 October
Saturday 5 October
Wednesday 9 October
Wednesday 16 October
Thursday 17 October
Friday 18 October – Monday 4 November MELBOURNE (VIC)
Tuesday 5 November
*Part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep.
For further information about the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, visit melbournecuptour.com.au.
