Warrnambool's May Racing Carnival goes ahead, but local economy is the loser

The biggest event on a south-west Victorian town's social calendar has gone ahead with no one there and the biggest loser was the local economy, short-changed by up to $14 million.

Each year, the town of Warrnambool's population nearly doubles to 60,000 as visitors flock to the annual May Racing Carnival, a three-day jumps racing affair dating back to 1872.

This year's carnival was different to most — coronavirus restrictions meant racing took place behind locked gates in front of empty grandstands for the first time in the carnival's history.

Police cars patrolled the racecourse perimeter, ready to move along people hoping to glimpse the action or those who lingered too long on their daily walk.

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Article written by: Matt Neal and Daniel Miles