Olivia nervous about anthem at Cup | Bundaberg Celebrity | Celebrities and Speakers in Bundaberg

AAP

A NERVOUS Olivia Newton-John has arrived at Flemington racecourse ahead of the Melbourne Cup.

The singer, with her husband John Easterling by her side, said she was a tad nervous but also excited about singing the national anthem later in the day.

"It's a first, and I love firsts," she told reporters as she posed for photographs in the Myer marquee.

Newton-John, who has only attended one other Melbourne Cup, posed with Myer models Jennifer Hawkins and Rebecca Twigley.

In the Emirates' India-themed marquee, royal Zara Phillips, the daughter of Princess Anne, and an experienced horsewoman in her own right, mingled with guests.

Earlier, as the action in the exclusive Birdcage enclosure heated up, crowds jostled for position on the lawn in front of the race track as others filed into the stands.