The Melbourne Cup starts at 3:00 PM AEDT on the first Tuesday of November each year. In 2025, Melbourne Cup Day fell on Tuesday, November 4, with the main race scheduled for 3:00 PM local time in Melbourne (AEDT) at Flemington Racecourse. If you’re watching from other Australian time zones, the equivalent local start times vary (e.g., 2:00 PM ACST, 2:30 PM ACDT, 3:00 PM AWST), but the headline race itself is 3:00 PM AEDT in Victoria.