There’s but hours to go until the iconic race that stops the nation starts, and here’s where you can watch the spectacle live and free.
There are several places and ways to watch the 2016 Melbourne Cup online, live and free at 3.00pm AEDT Australian time.
Of course, you can watch on your TV via Channel 7, but if you’re out and about, or your TV is broken, or you want to watch on your smartphone or tablet, or PC or Mac, then you’ve come to the right place to find out how.
Channel 7 has two online streams - the first is its Plus7 website, and the alternate site is the 7Live website. Both presumably link to the same stream.
Just type in your postcode and your live stream should start. Plenty more places to watch live below - please read on.
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If you’re overseas, you might need to use a VPN that lets you log in as though you were in Australia, with several of those VPNs available online - just do a search - but try the links on this page first if you’re an overseas reader.
You can download the Plus7 app on iOS here or Android here but the links above for the Channel 7 websites worked fine on my iPhone and Android devices, too. Those with Windows Phones or BlackBerries can check their app stores for Channel 7 apps but the web links above may just stream via the browser as is possible with iPhones and Androids - try your luck.
For the first time, Twitter is also broadcasting the iconic race free of charge, which should work for overseas viewers.
Betting websites Bet365, Sportsbet, Racing.com, Ladbrokes and Crownbet (includingly likely others!) are all offering a free live stream of the event on your connected devices, although you might need to create a free account first.
You might experience buffering or delays depending on the wired or wireless network you’re on - 4G or Wi-Fi would be best - and it all depends on what kind of surge there is to the various especially once 3pm rolls around, but if you’re not watching on TV it’s definitely worth taking a punt to watch via the mobile Internet.
If you are going to bet more seriously than just the sweeps in your office or at the venue you’re visiting to watch the race and soak up the atmosphere, please remember to bet with your head - and not over it.
And please, don’t just game responsibly but drink responsibly, too. No doubt the roads will be very actively policed this afternoon and tonight!