Best places to watch country horse racing in Australia: Beyond the Melbourne Cup

MORE INFORMATION: www.birdsvilleraces.com

GETTING THERE: Drive various routes, including via the Birdsville Track from Marree or from Broken Hill via Cameron's Corner; fly from Brisbane with Skytrans; bus from Brisbane; or book a tour.

STAYING THERE: Rent a tent for $490 for two people for five nights, book a site at the caravan park, or free camp.

SEE + DO: Have a fight in Fred Brophy's Boxing Troupe's tent; drive to the gigantic Big Red sand dune; eat a curried camel pie at the bakery; catch fish at the Birdsville billabong.

2. HANGING ROCK RACES, VICTORIA

As the horses thunder round the bend and the famous Hanging Rock comes into view behind them, the crowd seems awe-struck at the sight. "It never fails to get you," says John Dight, general manager of the local race club. "There's so much mystique surrounding that rock ... and so much history, it never fails to move people."

The racetrack fronts the six-million-year-old rock, with races held every New Year's Day and Australia Day. Starting in the 1870s, they've attracted crowds of up to 25,000 in the late 1980s, but these days usually more like 7000 for each meet.

Near Woodend and Mount Macedon, just 80 kilometres north of Melbourne, the races are an easy day out from the city. "It's great grassroots-level racing," says Dight. "People get together with their family and friends and enjoy a social day out that's very relaxed and casual in a very picturesque setting. A lot end the day with a swim in the dam."

INFORMATION: www.countryracing.com.au/hanging-rock

GETTING THERE: Drive the hour from Melbourne or catch the train to Woodend and jump on the races' shuttle bus.

STAYING: Lyall Hotel, South Yarra, see www.thelyall.com

SEE + DO: Take a walk around, or up, the rock; explore the new Hanging Rock Discovery Centre; and marvel at the wildlife – in 2011 a kangaroo invasion forced the races to be abandoned

3. YASS PICNIC RACES, NSW

Now 113 years old and counting, the Yass races has a great tradition of being organised by locals, sponsored by locals and often won by them.

With a particularly home-made air, the event is strictly BYO – both food and liquor – for its crowds of around 1800. "It's a great family day out with a real picnic atmosphere," says race club committee president Matt Merriman, the great-grandson of the man after whom the meet's prize E.J. Merriman Ravensworth Cup is named.

The races, on the Southern Tablelands, 45 minutes from Canberra, are usually held on the first Saturday in March, but next year will run on February 28. Everyone involved has their fingers crossed; last year, they were abandoned after wet weather.

MORE INFORMATION: www.yassvalley.nsw.gov.au

GETTING THERE: Drive from Canberra

STAYING: Thunderbird Motel, Yass, see www.thunderbirdmotelyass.com.au

WHAT ELSE TO DO: Tour the wineries; visit Homeleigh Grove Olives; drop into the local museum

4. OAKBANK EASTER RACING CARNIVAL, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

With up to 90,000 people attending, the Oakbank Races in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills every Easter Saturday and Sunday has become the biggest picnic race meeting in the world.

It's also one of its most unusual: there aren't many other places in the world with a fairground, ferris wheel, bumper cars and places for 20,000 people and their vehicles, with free parking, smack in the middle of the racecourse.

"It's one of the most incredible sights you can see," says Chris Biggs, secretary of the racing club. "The event has iconic status."

In addition, the feature race dating back to 1876, The Great Eastern Steeplechase, with $166,000 in prize money, goes across the nearby bitumen road, covered in sand for the occasion. "It's totally different to any other race meeting in Australia," says Biggs.

MORE INFORMATION: www.oakbankracingclub.com.au

GETTING THERE: Drive the 34 kilometres from Adelaide, or there are shuttle buses from the city

STAYING: Stamford Plaza, Adelaide www.stamford.com.au

SEE + DO: Graze The Paddock, the gourmet food and wine precinct; let the kids meet horses at the kids' club; there's also netball, a tug-o-war and cricket games.

5. THE WAGGA CUP CARNIVAL, WAGGA WAGGA, NSW

For both the racing purists and those more interested in the action off the track, like Fashions in the Field, the Murrumbidgee Turf Club is at Wagga, four and a half hours from both Sydney and Melbourne.

Held on the first Friday of May and the day before, it's an event that's both a traditional racing carnival and a big social occasion, with more than 9000 attending Friday's Wagga Gold Cup day annually.

"We have upwards of 30 marquees set up, prize money of $540,000 and we attract the biggest racing stables in Australia, and some of the biggest metropolitan trainers," says club chief executive Scott Sanbrook.

Usually, the carnival clashes with Warrnambool, the biggest country carnival in NSW and Victoria, but 2015 will be the once-every-seven-years when it doesn't. "So we're expecting attendance to break records," says Sanbrook.

MORE INFORMATION: www.mtcwagga.com.au

GETTING THERE: Drive or fly from Sydney or Melbourne with Rex or Qantas, train or bus

STAYING: Garden City Motor Inn, Wagga www.gardencitymotorinn.com

SEE + DO: Stroll the banks of the river; visit Ariah Park heritage village; tour local wineries

6. WARRNAMBOOL MAY RACING CARNIVAL, VICTORIA

Australia's premier regional racing carnival, the 156-year-old, three-day event in early May attracts around 35,000 people – 5000 more than the town's total population – from all over Australia and overseas.

The highlight is the last day's $250,000 Dominant Grand Annual Steeplechase, raced over 33 jumps and 5500 metres. Horses come off the course, cross a road, gallop through paddocks, up a hill, back over another road and then re-enter the course to finish in an anti-clockwise direction. It's the longest thoroughbred race in the country and has more jumps than any other race worldwide.

"It's also the only carnival in Australia that's held over three consecutive days," says Brad Pole, head of sales and marketing with the club, three hours west of Melbourne on the edge of the Great Ocean Road. "The Melbourne Cup Carnival is four days, but that takes a week. We even had Gai Waterhousecome down two years ago."

MORE INFORMATION: www.countryracing.com.au/warrnambool-racing-club

GETTING THERE: Drive from Melbourne, join a tour group or catch the train.

STAYING: Comfort Inn Western, Warrnambool, see www.westernwarrnambool.com.au

SEE + DO: Explore the Great Ocean Road; try out the walking and cycling paths; take a scenic flight over the coastline

FIVE TIPS TO SURVIVE AN OUTBACK RACE MEET

1. You could be forgiven for sometimes thinking a race meet is an excuse to drink as much as you can before falling down. And while that can be fun, it's an excellent idea to stay hydrated with water, too, particularly on a hot day.

2. Take all the cash you're prepared to lose with you, and leave your credit card at home. More and more country race meets now accept bets on credit cards, which can be calamitous, especially if you haven't taken tip No. 1 seriously.

3. Check if there will be food for sale on the course or if you'll need to take a picnic. Again, that's vital if you've ignored tip No. 1.

4. Dress up to the nines, as many of the locals do. Women should carry a pair of flat shoes in a bag for when their legs are about to give way and the going is soft, and men should remember to wear clean singlets underneath their suits for when they feel the urge to strip down.

5. Remember: there's no such thing as a sure thing. As one bookie told a punter who asked for some advice on betting, "Ask yourself why I'm driving a Bentley, and you're driving a Barina."