Australia Day Polo Launch

Last week I was able to attend the launch of the 2018 Australia Day Polo program. The Australia Day Polo takes place in Geelong, Victoria in the Geelong Gardens. If you don’t know much about polo, who could blame you. It’s not played excessively in Australia so few people have natural societal knowledge of it. Let me give some brief points to get you excited about it.

Obviously, it’s an equestrian sport, sometimes called The Sport of Kings. It’s called that because it originated in ancient Persia where it was played by a long line of Emperors. From there it spread across the world for thousands of years, but I won’t bore you with the details of how it became the modern game of today. So how does Polo unfold? Players work as a team to hit the ball with their mallet into the opposing team’s goal. Just saying that fascinates me. Like, whose idea was this? Hockey? Forget that. Let’s do that, but like, on horses. The nearest type of equestrian event we have in Australia would be horse racing, with the fashion, the weather and the vibe. However, Polo isn’t about riding a horse fast. The grass Polo field is only around 150 by 270 meters. It’s about maneuvering a four-legged, highly intelligent animal at speed, whilst also coordinating a long stick to hit a ball. I’m fascinated by this. And obviously are so many other people, which is why you can attend and view a Polo event.

This year they will be having a celebrity match. Last year’s apparently involved Ballarat’s own Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. You can attend the event too, with their being a range of levels of elegance and hospitality for the day. Ticket prices begin at $90 and range right up to some exquisite VIP packages of $285. On top of the great game to watch and awesome food, it’s also another opportunity to indulge in excellent fashion. Polo fashions are like spring racing fashion mixed and shaken with a large shot of preppy. Straw boaters, loafers, blazers, traditional university sporting colours are more usually dominate the elegant crowd. As with any fashion event, you not only get the pleasure of dressing up yourself, but you get to live vicariously through the many other people who attend in their own style.

Tickets are now available for 2018, so if you’re interested in attending, check it out now for early bird discounts.

The launch itself was held at a brilliant venue in Geelong called The Federal. It was an elegant mix of industrial, modern, and elegance and we dranks 6ft6 wine, mingled and learned all about the upcoming program of Polo.