Pig & Goose General Foodstore’s Wendy Kirby said it was one of her biggest trading days of the year, with patrons soaking up the sunshine on the deck overlooking the course straight. 

“It’s nice to see people year-in, year-out. I don’t see them for a year, but I know who they all are when they return, it’s lovely,” she said. 

Marilyn Delfin, who owns The Old Bluestone Cafe, said while crowds seemed to be down this year, fewer on-street food vendors in the centre of Buninyong meant an uptick in business.  

The cafe used six kilograms of coffee beans on Sunday. 

“The crowd last year was double, but food-wise, we did more today,”  Ms Delfin said. “Last year it was food trucks everywhere … if it’s always like this though, the tourists keeping coming, I can give more jobs to locals.”  

But Buninyong’s eateries weren’t the only ones doing a roaring trade. Stationed on the nature-strip next to the sweeping hill towards FedUni, little entrepreneurs Grace, Isabella and Sophie and two other friends were selling freshly-made lemonade for 50 cents. 

“We made it all this morning,” said Sophie, “and when we were serving it, we kept running back and forth, making more batches. We’ve made three batches, because it keeps going!”