The Tale of the Moving Holiday
Celebrating Melbourne Cup in Canberra – or not
Melbourne Cup Day in Canberra has a curious history. Here’s a short take on it.
Back in days past, Canberra used to have a special union holiday in March called something such as Family and Community Picnic Day. With the rise of conservative governments, it was thought more proper to not have a holiday linked to those ‘dreaded unions’. It was decided instead to provide a more celebratory event for all of the Canberra’s population, not just the union membership.