Northern Territory tavern holds annual crocodile race on Melbourne Cup Day

While horses were galloping for Melbourne Cup glory at Flemington, at a pub outside of Darwin punters were gathered along the sidelines of a very Northern Territory-take on the race that stops a nation.

• The event is held at the Berry Springs Tavern and is now in its eighth year
• Local wildlife park cares for the crocodiles and sends wranglers to the event
• The tavern's owner says the event is getting international attention

For the eighth year in a row, the Berry Springs Tavern has marked Melbourne Cup Day with what it claims is the only crocodile race in the world.

There's no grandstand or 3,200-metre race track; instead, the juvenile reptiles are raced down the pub's verandah lined with hay bales.

While the event is modest, punters from across the Top End still use the occasion to don their best outfits — complete with fascinators — in defiance of Darwin's notoriously sticky November conditions.

The owner of the Berry Springs Tavern, Ian Sloan, said the idea to hold croc races came to him "after a very drunken night at the front of the pub".

"We thought, 'what can we do to make Melbourne Cup a bit more exciting'?"

"And we have the crocodile on the roof and the five-metre crocodile in the back carpark, so it just seemed to be the natural progression to race crocodiles on Melbourne Cup Day."

The crocodiles are sourced from a local wildlife park and many bear names too rude for publication.

But despite the lewd names — or maybe because of them — the event continues to be a significant drawcard for the pub, located in the town of Berry Springs, 40 minutes south of Darwin.

Mr Sloan said the crowds of between 400 and 500 visitors to his tavern are getting "bigger and bigger" every year, and has even attracted international attention.

"Forget about the Melbourne Cup — it's all about the Berry Springs Tavern and the crocodile racing," he said.

"So we're really pushing the government to make this a public holiday."

Crocodile wrangler Payton Prosser, who works at Crocodylus Park, was among those helping ensure the carnivorous creatures were able to get into the starting gates.

He said the crocodiles had an air conditioned van in case they were too hot, and a dark tub full of water in case they were feeling overwhelmed by the crowds. 

But he said the annual race gave him and others from the park a chance to "educate people a bit more about them, about their safety around the water's edge, around these awesome animals".

"It's really a community event, gathers everyone around and gets everyone involved with something."

It's not the only quirky event held in the Top End on Cup Day, with a nearby pub holding a frog race to mark the occasion as well.