Eerie photos reveal sad Melbourne Cup reality

Melbourne is starting to open up but these haunting photos reveal the city has a long road to recover from the toll taken by COVID-19.

This is a Melbourne Cup like no other — and here are the photos to prove it.

Flemington is a ghost town today as spectators are banned from attending the race that stops the nation because of COVID-19 regulations.

Victoria has endured some of the harshest lockdown restrictions in the world and is only recently starting to open up.

The state has gone four days without recording a single positive coronavirus case but it was still too soon to let punters get together trackside and cheer on their horses.

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This is just weird for the first Tuesday in November.

Is anyone there?

A single soul strolls along but without any mates.

The corporate suites are empty today.

At least the grass will enjoy not being trampled on.

Iconic Australian horse trainer Gai Waterhouse is no fan of the new-look Melbourne Cup, blasting Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and those responsible for keeping racing fans away from Flemington.

“It’s quite ridiculous really, the way they’ve gone on in Victoria,” Waterhouse told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

“The Premier there should wake up and let people go on with their business. The state will go broke with the way he’s going.

“COVID’s here to last, we may as well start to live with it, otherwise Australia will go belly-up.

“By all means social distance … but you can’t have the country cut off at the knees!”

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The statue of Bart Cummings is lonelier than ever.

A Melbourne Cup without punters’ drunken antics just isn’t the same.

The sun is out but nobody can enjoy it.

Flemington would make the perfect echo chamber today.

Sadly, those seats will remain empty today.

Originally published as Eerie photos reveal sad Melbourne Cup reality