Dunkeld Racing Club
Winner of the 2007 and 2008 Country Racing Event of the Year the Dunkeld Racing Club has witnessed phenomenal growth since its humble beginnings with attendances growing from 5000 in 2005 to in excess of 11,000 in 2008.
The success of the Royal Mail Hotel William Thompson Dunkeld Races is a story to behold. What the venue lacks in permanent facilities it makes up for in raceday character. The wind rolling the odd plastic flower through the paddock (that serves as a car park) attests to its prime location, next door to the town’s cemetery. There is no grandstand or permanent seating, but we do have a couple of three sided sheds and a couple of grand sheds (four sides) that are used as bars on raceday. We advise you not to bring anything electrical, there is no power.
Despite this adversity, at Dunkeld we pull out all stops year after year to deliver an award winning event. You might call it a challenge, we call it our duty. From not a single marquee in 2000 to around 170 in 2008, preparing for this event is something that resembles a military exercise. With bookings from Adelaide to Apollo Bay and Brighton to Buninyong, the logistics of coordinating paddocks and precincts is not for the faint hearted.
On raceday, we offer you a vast array of fully serviced marquee enclosures, public areas with shade and seating, in excess of 15 bar outlets, a wide range of food vendors, multiple big screens, betting facilities, free super kid’s enclosure 6 live music performances dispersed throughout the venue, the ever popular fashions on the field and of course great racing.
For those that have been initiated, a trip to the Dunkeld Races is an annual pilgrimage, planned twelve months in advance. And, it’s not just local people who attend. One of the biggest audience segments is metropolitan Melbourne. So then, why do thousands of people attend a day at the races at Dunkeld? Because it’s what a real country race meeting is all about - people, horses, the community, picturesque settings and, above all, the chance to have a great day out.
Our Package Booking Request Forms.
Terms & Conditions
IF for any reason the booking is cancelled by the marquee holder the following condiditons apply:
NON refundable if cancelled within 10 (ten) days of the event.
If for any reason the race meeting is cancelled the following conditions apply:
Cancellation of the meeting prior to the start of racing, the club will recover its costs and refund balance to marquee holder.
If for any reason the race meeting is cancelled once racing has commenced the following conditions apply:
Non-refundable once racing has commenced.