The retirees will be among 150 Southerners, including some from Queenstown and Central Otago, boarding an Airbus A320 charter flight leaving Invercargill Airport at 6.15am on Tuesday and returning at 1.15am on Wednesday in what it is believed will be Invercargill's first international flight.
''It's just for the experience. It's a bucket list thing to do,'' Mrs Dore said.
''And it's a good excuse to buy a new outfit.''
She will wear a red dress, a white jacket with red flower decoration and a fascinator - of course - plus ''sensible shoes'', while Mr Dore's grey suit will be brightened up with a pink and red tie.
They expect their fellow passengers to be similarly decked out in their finery.
''We'll be the best-dressed planeload of people ever to leave Invercargill,'' Mr Dore, a retired motelier, said.
The trip has been organised by Tony Laker, of House of Travel Lakers, and includes flights, buses to and from Flemington Racecourse, and seating, food and drinks in a corporate marquee.
The Dores have travelled with Mr Laker and his wife Tracey on four escorted tours and said they jumped at the chance to join them for the Melbourne Cup outing.
For Mr Laker, the trip is the realisation of a 10-year dream.
''I have wanted to do this since the day the runway at Invercargill Airport was extended to take international flights in 2005.
''Some years I've had the plane but not the landing spot at Melbourne Airport, and other years I've had the landing spot but no plane. This year it all came together because I chartered an Air New Zealand A320 which usually flies the Christchurch-Melbourne route.''
Despite the lengthened runway, no international passenger flights fly in or out of Invercargill and Mr Laker believes his will be the first.
Once he had the plane, then came the challenge of turning the Southland Aero Club rooms into an international departure and arrival lounge - the main terminal was unavailable because of scheduled domestic flights.
Mr Laker has had to arrange - and pay for - about 10 border control, customs and Civil Aviation Authority staff.
''We even have a sniffer dog coming. It will be the real deal.''
Pulling the trip off had involved ''an awful lot of time and hard work,'' Mr Laker said.
''It's been challenging, but there was never a moment when I did not think I would pull it off.
''I love a challenge. I wanted to do something really special for Southerners and I wanted to show the rest of the country what Southland can do.''
