Less than a week out from the Albury Gold Cup, the Twin Cities have again backed a $3 million winner.
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Chryslers on the Murray has reinforced its status as a major economic winner for the Twin Cities with more than 5000 spectators flocking to Gateway Lakes in Wodonga, joining almost 1000 entrants in the 31st running of the event.
Such is its popularity, many accommodation providers on the Border, including the Hovell Tree Inn, are booked out a year in advance.
"Albury is an amazing spot, we're lucky," Hovell Tree Inn manager Kate Stephenson said. "We were booked out a year in advance, so if you do want a booking during this event you need to book a year ahead."
Albury and Wodonga councils were still collating data from the weekend but it's estimated Chryslers on the Murray injected about $3 million into the Border economy.
It's not just the Border economy which gets a rev up from the event either, with president of the Albury-Wodonga Chrysler Club Rod Taylor telling The Border Mail $14,000 had been raised for fire brigades in the region.
Mr Taylor said he was proud to see how the event had grown into one of, if not, the largest in the southern hemisphere.
"It's one weekend a year where people can just go away, relax and not think about home, work or bills," he said. "As one bloke said to me years ago, 'it's a little ray of sunshine for the weekend'."
Punters come from far and wide for the Chryslers on the Murray and it will be the same on Friday with a crowd of more than 10,000 expected to attend the Border's biggest social event of the year, the Albury Gold Cup.
While there are sections of the business community with mixed views on the half-day holiday, it's beyond doubt that the Gold Cup provides a huge fillip to the Border community with hospitality and accommodation providers among those to benefit.
A poll on www.bordermail.com.au last week revealed 88 per cent of readers supported the half-day holiday.
Events such as Chryslers on the Murray and the Albury Gold Cup put our region on the map and even if you're not a car or racing enthusiast, that's something we all benefit from