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Although the
Melbourne Cricket Ground is arguably one of the two most important
cricket grounds in the world, it is much more than a cricket ground
to the people of Melbourne. It is one of the great icons of this
city, and even Australia. It has often been said that you could
draw a crowd of 50,000 in Melbourne to watch two flys crawling up
a wall, such is Victorians' love of anything to do with sport. The
MCG has been ingrained in the locals' psyche over the past 50 years
and it fittingly reflects the enormous fascination Victorians have
with sport.
Make no mistake,
this is the sports capital of Australia and the MCG is sport's holy
temple. Sydneysiders do not have the same enthusiasm as their southern
counterparts when it comes to participating in and following sporting
events. Melbourne's great fascination with sport probably emanates
from the city's resentment at having to play second fiddle to Sydney
in terms of climate and spectacular harbour setting. By establishing
great sporting traditions such as the Melbourne Cup and Australian
Rules Football Grand Finals, Melbourne was able to outdo the harbour
city.>
By the 1950's,
Melbourne's reputation as the sports capital of Australia was so
firmly entrenched that it was a foregone conclusion that the city
would host the Olympic Games. (The ground capacity of the MCG was
also a major contributing factor.) The grand final of Australian
Football is always played at the MCG, and in recent times
the holy grail of rugby, the Bledisloe Cup, was played in Melbourne
for the first time in front of some of the biggest crowds ever seen
at a rugby match.
But let's not
forget cricket, as this is after all a cricket ground. Some of the
greatest cricket matches of all time (including the Centenary Test
Match played between Australia and England) have been played on
the MCG and this is the biggest cricket ground in the world, its
huge stadium one time accommodating more than 100,000 patrons. With
updated seating facilities, the MCG now seats 90,000 in relative
comfort. The Australian Gallery of Sport is also located at the
MCG.
For a 30 minutes tour of the MCG and other sporting venues please book The Sports Lover Tour.
You
can easily walk to the MCG by walking east along Flinders Street.
It should take you about 20 minutes to a half hour. If you're not
feeling energetic, catch a No 48 or 75 tram from Flinders Street
or catch a train from Flinders Street Station to Jolimont.
Website:
http://www.mcg.org.au/
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