DESPITE the title of this book, it is not about country racing.
Instead, it is a travel guide, showcasing 15 beautiful towns around Victoria that happen to have a racetrack.
- Slow Tracks: A Canter Through Victoria and Country Races, by Jude Fitcher. Affirm Press, rrp $24.95
But as far as author Jude Fitcher is concerned, racetracks and great country towns are one and the same thing.
Fitcher, who grew up in Quambatook in the Mallee, says racing galvanises communities and that it "saddens me to see country racetracks closing".
She says 34 courses have closed in Victoria since 1960, with only 52 remaining.
"Bury the association that country races are married to punters and horse lovers and think art exhibits, food and wine, somersaults and wildflowers," Fitcher says.
The book, which took three years to research, is broken down into four chapters - towns within 100km, 200km, 300km and more from Melbourne.
Fitcher starts at Healesville, Hanging Rock and Balnarring.
So if you're headed to the Mornington Peninsula races, drop into the Tyabb Packing House, where you'll find "two acres of collectibles, the biggest spread in the southern hemisphere according to local brag"; or maybe grab some provisions at the Somers General Store.
Other towns and regions covered include Avoca to Camperdown, Murtoa to Manangatang.
The book is illustrated with quirky shots and includes plenty of break-outs and local knowledge.
Beyond the horses and the activities, Fitcher says the guide is also about "supporting communities that have had a tough trot with bushfires, floods and drought in recent years".
