Sporting
by sufw/FlickrAFL
If you’re mystified by Australia’s wildlife, stumped by the accent and can’t figure out which side of the road you’re supposed to drive on, you’ll be pleased to know that things only get more confusing. We also play some pretty strange sports.
Australian Rules is our very own interpretation of football. Similar in some ways to rugby, yet completely different in others. The game is played on an oval-shaped field, and involves a combination of kicking the ball through the opposing team’s goalposts its a combination of soccer and rugby, played on a cricket oval.
The exact origins of the sport are the subject of much debate, though it’s generally agreed that Australian Rules was born in Melbourne around the mid 19th century. Today the AFL is the sport’s professional league, and encompasses 17 teams from around the country.
Australian football is supremely popular in the southern states. Melbourne is the proud homeland of this unique sport, and you can’t visit the city without encountering its influence. Even if you don’t attend a match, you’ll hear talk of the game everywhere you go. Melburnians are completely and utterly obsessed with the sport, and proud of it too.
If you’re even the slightest bit interested in Australia’s sporting culture, catching an AFL match at the Etihad Stadium or Melbourne Cricket Ground is highly recommended. Grab yourself a beer and a meat pie, sit down, and prepare to experience Australian sport in its purest form. You won’t be disappointed.
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is the blockbuster finale to the Australian Football League season. The game is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and is watched by around 100,000 spectators. The Grand Final is usually scheduled for the last Saturday in September although on several occasions, due to draws or the scheduling, the game is played in early October.
The Grand Final is also a week of football with daily events leading up to the big game. The Brownlow Medal presentation on the Monday night crowns the AFL’s Best And Fairest player of the year. This award is voted on by the game’s umpires and often results in an unexpected winner.
The training sessions of the competing teams bring in large crowds during the week. On the Friday before the game, the AFL Grand Final Parade goes through Melbourne with all the players on show. A morning event called the Grand Final breakfast is tradition that often showcases the leaders of Australian sport, entertainment and politics.
Three AFL teams based in Melbourne have won the most Grand Finals, Carlton, Essendon and Collingwood. In recent years the interstate teams have been successful with wins to West Coast, Adelaide, Brisbane, Port Adelaide and Sydney.
After the game, the player judged to be best on ground receives the Norm Smith Medal and then the AFL Premiership Cup is presented to the winning coach and captain.
One key component of the Grand Final is the pregame entertainment. International stars like Lionel Richie and Irene Cara have performed there. The biggest names of the Australian entertainment industry have also been on display and include Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes and Glenn Shorrock. One memorable performance was by Angry Anderson, at one of the rare times a Grand Final was played away from the MCG, when he appeared with a blue Batmobile car. Up There Cazaly, a football anthem from Mike Brady, is often sung on Grand Final day.
Australian Open Tennis
Melbourne hosts one of the Grand Slam tournaments of tennis, the Australian Open. Each January the best players compete to be the one holding the trophy at the Rod Laver Arena.
The Australian Open started in 1905, with Australia’s Rodney Heath winning in four sets. The list of champions for the event includes many greats of the game. Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall and Mark Edmondson won the event on their home soil. Other champions for the men’s event include Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Australian women Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Margaret Court, Chris O’Neil and Kerry Melville Reid were successful during the 1970s. Other champions include Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.
The tournament moved to Melbourne Park from Kooyong in 1988. This saw a change from grass to synthetic hard court and from an open stadium to a main court with a retractable roof. In recent years more developments have taken place at Melbourne Park with more courts equipped with a roof to allow play to continue in all types of weather. The Rebound Ace playing surface has been replaced by the Plexicushion Prestige surface.
The Open has a wide variety of ticketing options. While many want to see the stars on centre court, fans can also purchase tickets that allow access to all of the outer courts. For those who can’t get in to see the big matches, Garden Square is an area with a big screen that televises the action. Fans can also listen to live bands at the Grand Slam Oval. One place to attend is Autograph Island where the top stars of tennis can meet the public.
Fans attending the Australian Open can arrive by public transport, trams and trains, or drive there. The Melbourne Park sporting complex is also within walking distance of the Melbourne CBD.
Boxing Day Test Cricket
Starting on Boxing Day every year, Australia competes against one of cricket’s top teams for a five day Test match at the MCG. Often England is the opponent in the battle for The Ashes while others include India, South Africa, the West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand.
For over fifty years, cricket fans have set aside the days after Christmas for the Boxing Day Test. In 1950 the tradition began as Australia defeated England in the first Boxing Day Test. In 1975 a crowd of over 80,000 was in attendance for the first day of a match that saw Australia defeat the West Indies due to the bowling prowess of Lille and Thomson.
In the 1987 Boxing Day Test, New Zealand’s Sir Richard Hadlee took 10 wickets. The result was an entertaining draw. In 1988 the West Indies still had its dominant group of fast bowlers and comprehensively defeated Australia.
When Sri Lanka toured Australia in 1995, the Boxing Day Test was the venue for the controversial no-ball calls against Muttiah Muralitharan. In 2006 the MCG recorded it’s 100th Test match.
The crowd at the Boxing Day Test are most appreciative of the local Victorian players. Shane Warne, Dean Jones, Merv Hughes, Simon O’Donnell and Tony Dodemaide were some of the fan favourites. Other star Australian players to appear in the Boxing Day Test include Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Doug Walters, Bill Lawry, Kim Hughes, Bruce Reid, David Boon and Ricky Ponting. Some of the best of world cricket have also been on display with Viv Richards, Ian Botham, Richie Richardson Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar and Curtly Ambrose all starring on the big stage of the MCG.
The MCG, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, is located in Melbourne’s sporting precinct. It can be accessed by two train stations, Richmond and Jolimont, as well as by tram and car.
Cycling
In a city like Melbourne, with the hustle and bustle of traffic and the popularity of the public transport route, Cycling is a great option. With so many parks, sites and great spots to stop for food and entertainment, just hop on your bike and you can go wherever you want.
Whether you have your own sweet ride that you want to show off or a rental which you can organise from Federation Square you can get pedalling between the cities hidden bars and cafes or along the foreshore of the Yarra for a great day out with the family.
Melbourne is generally flat and has a good network of cycle lanes and footpaths which make it the most cycle friendly city in Australia and a rival for even the most cycle friendly cities in Europe.
Why not take the bike out of the city and pedal down the coast to the St Kilda foreshore or on further to the stunning beaches of the Peninsula? A trip down along the river or around the shopping hubs of the northern city suburbs there is a wealth of locations that can be discovered.
Melbourne Bike Share has many CBD docking stations which offer hiring options but you are required to bring your own helmet. There are helmet vending machines around and most of the local 7-Elevens stock them which you can return for a refund when you drop the bike off.
Make sure you follow road rules at all time and wear brightly coloured clothing to ensure you are seen by the traffic. If you are riding at night it is vital that you have a light attached to your bike and wear reflective clothing, remember you might look cool on your new wheels – but safety always needs to come first!
Etihad Stadium
One of the newest sporting destinations in Melbourne, the Etihad Stadium is a clever combination of technology and stadium prowess. A huge retractable roof hangs over a green carpet of turf, which is all managed and cared for by a complex computer system.
The amphitheatre seating style is designed to bring each and every spectator closer to the action which is an amazing atmosphere at the sporting events that this grand stadium houses.
Etihad Stadium is the new home of Australian Rules Football, and on match days (From March to September) you will see hundreds of locals waving their flags, scarves and clothes in team colours on the way to and from the game.
The Etihad Stadium stands on the edge of the Melbourne Central Business District in Docklands, which is a great place to grab a bite to eat or do some shopping before or after the game. All tickets are purchased through Ticketek and Ticketmaster for all events held at this great stadium.
For food and drink during the match there are many food and drink kiosks around the stadium and a food court between gates 8 and 9 to ensure you get your fill. Within the stadium there are several bars to serve golden liquid to the thirsty masses.
Outside the stadium there is an endless supply of food and drink options within Docklands that range from burger bars to five star international fair. And with the City and Southbank precincts within walking distance you are never far from whatever exciting adventure awaits you next.
Address: Harbour Esplanade, Docklands
Formula 1 Grand Prix
One of the first, and often most exciting, races of the Formula 1 season is the Australian Grand Prix. The streets around Melbourne’s Albert Park Lake provide the venue. The race is usually held in March or April.
During the 1950s, Stirling Moss drove a Maserati to victory at Albert Park. After that the Australian Grand Prix was held in many different parts of Australia. Adelaide hosted the event from 1985 to 1995 until it moved to its present location. Damon Hill driving a Williams-Renault won the 1996 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari was the most successful driver, winning four events including three in a row from 2000 to 2002. David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Eddie Irvine are some of the other winners.
The Melbourne race consists of 58 laps, with cars covering 5.303 km per lap. Michael Schumacher is credited with the fastest lap at the circuit. As with many race tracks, the real excitement comes at the first turn. Travelling at 300 km/h along the front straight, drivers have to brake to go through the turn at around 145 km/h.
As well as the Formula 1 cars, the four days of the Australian Grand Prix are packed with other motorsport action. The V8 Supercars are popular with fans as the best Falcons and Commodores compete. One of the slowest races is the Celebrity Challenge. Famous names from movies, television, fashion, sports and the media are trained to become racecar drivers and then let loose on the Albert Park circuit. Every year there is excitement as some of the celebrities show how good they are behind the wheel while others end up in a gravel trap.
Being a street circuit, many of the roads around Albert Park are closed during the Australian Grand Prix. The easiest way to attend the event is by tram from the city. Catch the trams that go down Clarendon Street or St Kilda Road.
During the year when the streets are open to the public, speed limits of 50 km/h apply to many sections of the track.
Golf
There are many places to golf around Melbourne. Many of these famous courses also hold large tournaments that bring in the elite of the golfing world.
The Royal Melbourne Golf Club has been the venue for The President’s Cup. It is located south of the city in the Black Rock and Cheltenham area.
The Albert Park Golf Course and Driving Range is located next to where the Formula 1 cars race around Albert Park, and closes when the race is on. It is a public golf course. Phone (03) 9510 5588 for more information.
Kingston Heath Golf Course is over one hundred years old. Many large golfing tournaments have been held there. It is located on Kingston Road, Cheltenham, Victoria.
Woodlands Golf Club is on White Street, Mordialloc. This is another golf course located in the south-east suburbs of Melbourne. Phone (03) 9580 3455 for more details.
Some of the other golf courses around Melbourne are located in Kew, Keysborough, Northcote and Royal Park.
Albert Park Golf Club, Melbourne
Albert Park Golf Club is located just 2km away from Melbourne city centre, and is situated around Australia’s Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. The championship golf course is a par 70, is 5743 metres in length and features 18 holes, set within exotic trees and visitors are welcome to use the state of the art driving range. The Pro Shop is open daily and sells a wide range of golfing equipment as well as golf lessons with one of the three resident golf pro’s. Club hire and club fitting as well as golf carts are also available. The Clubhouse is fully licenced and a full catering service can be arranged in advance for those in groups. Tel + 61 3 9510 5588.
Growling Frog Golf Course, Melbourne
The Growling Frog Golf Course is one of the best public access golf courses in Australia and is located just north of Melbourne. The course was designed by golfing legend Graham Marsh and features 18 holes, is a par 72 and 6185 metres in length. The layout will appeal to every level of golfer, and is particularly scenic, featuring many unique environmental attributes and is home to the protected Growling Grass Frog. Visitors are welcome to use the purpose-designed driving range, practice putting green and a green which is used for chipping and bunker practice. The Clubhouse features a Pro Shop offering golfing equipment rental, locker facilities and a bar/café. Tel +61 3 9716 3477.
Goonawarra Golf Club, Melbourne
Goonawarra Golf Club is located around 20 km from Melbourne City Centre in Sunbury, Victoria. The 18 hole championship golf course features many bunkers and water hazards, and is navigable by novices as well as presenting a challenge to the more experienced. The Pro Shop is open daily and stocks a wide range of golfing equipment – plus, golf clubs, caddies, trolleys and carts are available for hire. The Clubhouse features a fully licenced restaurant and bar and barbeque area which is also available for functions and social groups. A driving range is at the disposal of guests as well as a short game practice area. Green fees are considered some of the most competitive in the area. Tel +03 9744 4344.
Marathon
The Melbourne Marathon is run every year, around the month of October. The Melbourne Marathon is the most important event of the Melbourne Marathon Festival which also includes a half marathon as well as events for running and walking over shorter distances.
The current Melbourne Marathon course takes runners through some of the most picturesque parts of the city and post many notable sites. Starting on Batman Avenue the race then goes into the Melbourne CBD to Flinders Street Station. The course then goes down St Kilda Road until they turn off there to run around Albert park Lake, the venue of the Australian Grand Prix.
The runners then travel along the beach, next to Port Phillip Bay, and past Luna Park before returning to St Kilda road and heading back to the city. The finish line is inside Melbourne’s famous MCG stadium. The Melbourne Marathon covers 42.2 km.
The posted prize money, for the 2010 Melbourne Marathon, was $8,000 for first place, $4,500 for second and $2,000 for third. The half marathon had a top prize of $2,000.
The winner of the Men’s’ Melbourne Marathon usually takes between two hours and eleven minutes to two hours and twenty minutes to complete the course. Previous winners include Juma Ikangaa, Asnake Befikadu, Magnus Michelsson, Andrew Lloyd, Bill Rodgers, Takeshi So, Fred Vandervennet and Japhat Kipkorir.
The time for the winner in the Women’s Melbourne Marathon can range from two hours and twenty minutes to two hours and forty minutes. Past winners include Hanny Allston, Margaret Reddan, Sherryn Rhodes, Jackie Turney, Tani Ruckle, Belinda Schipp and Mulu Seboka.
In the past, the Melbourne Marathon went from the City of Frankston to Melbourne. This course was a long, straight run to the City of Melbourne which is far different to the current course that has numerous turns to keep the course closer to the Melbourne CBD.
Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
The traditional home of Australian sport and an Australian Icon, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the scene of many of key annual sporting events as well as the 1956 Olympics and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Recently developed and refurbished the MCG now boasts some of the finest sporting facilities in the world. State of the art grandstands, sports heritage attractions, real sporting artefacts and amazing sporting artworks all take pride of place within the complex.
The MCG was first opened in 1853, and was nothing more than a paddock which was used by the Melbourne Cricket Club. Since this time, the MCG has grown above and beyond any expectations, becoming a world famous sporting stadium where some of the most famous sporting greats have performed their skills and now live on forever in the heritage museum.
From the Olympics, rock concerts, international soccer, rugby union and rugby league the MCG has seen sporting moments that have been viewed on Television sets all around the world. Above all though, the MCG is most famous for one event every year where the stadium is packed from top to bottom with screaming fans. The stadium once had a capacity of 125,000 spectators, but the installation of improved seating has reduced that figure to 97,000.
The Australian Football League holds its grand final at the MCG every September (read more above), where Melbourne stops, to watch, enjoy and support their favourite teams to victory. When you visit the MCG you can explore the evolution of Australian sport and take a tour (on non event days) where you will have the opportunity to be guided through over 150 years of sporting moments at this amazing stadium.
Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum (Located inside the MCG)
If sporting history is your thing, then the Australian Gallery of Sport located right in the centre of Melbourne’s sporting epicentre, The MCG, is the tourist destination that can’t be missed. This gallery preserves and reveres Australia’s greatest sporting heroes from Footballers to Olympians and of course Australia’s most famous sporting Icon Sir Donald Bradman.
Sporting moments are quick, they last mere seconds in the lives of both the athletes and the fans and are rarely repeated. The aim of the Australian gallery of sport is to capture these moments, preserve them and display them so that they can live on forever in the minds and hearts of both the athletes and the fans and so that these moments can be passed down through generations.
The Gallery incorporates Australia’s undeniable love for Australian Rules Football with technology allowing fans to take part in fully interactive displays where they have a chance to test their knowledge. There is a full gallery of memorabilia of Australia’s Olympians in the very stadium that hosted the 1956 Games.
There are many temporary exhibits that come in and out of the museum and its best to check with the staff to see what is currently on display. But there are great permanent exhibits as well, which stand proudly on display all year around for all to see. These exhibits include the Cricket Hall of Fame, Aussie Rules Football Exhibition and the Olympic Museum.
The Australian Gallery of sport houses 3D theatrical sporting moments and a fully interactive gallery. There is a great shop on site for you to purchase souvenirs and sporting memorabilia to take home with you.
Address: MCG, Jolimont St, East Melbourne VIC 3002
Phone: 03 9657 8879
Melbourne Cup
“The Race That Stops A Nation”, The Melbourne Cup is one of the most prestigious horse racing events in the world. The best horses from Australia and around the world contest the event that is run on the first Tuesday in November.
The Melbourne Cup, now called the Emirates Melbourne Cup after its biggest sponsor, is 150 years old and is truly more than just a horse race. This one race has become an Australian institution, a cultural tradition, a social event that peaks the calendar year for one of the biggest days of public celebration. Competitors fly from all around the world making The Melbourne Cup an international event that has certainly made its mark on global television. With a global audience of over 700 million viewers in over 120 countries the Melbourne Cup is a celebration of racing, fashion, glamour and celebrity that is enjoyed every year in the heart of this great city.
The Melbourne Cup is the highlight of the Spring Racing Carnival, which also includes the Caulfield Cup Cox Plate and many other race meetings in Melbourne and throughout Victoria.
The Melbourne Cup has a race distance of two miles, which is 3200 metres. The horses first go along the extended main straight, and cross the finish line for the first time, before completing a lap of the course in a counter-clockwise direction.
Flemington Racecourse is the home of the Melbourne Cup. Crowds exceeding 100,000 attend annually, the all-time record for attendance is over 120,000. Not far from the centre of Melbourne, Flemington Racecourse is easy to get to via car, tram or train. There are also those who arrive by helicopter or watercraft along the Marybyrnong River.
To be a famous racing horse in Australia it is necessary to win the Melbourne Cup, and can make them household names like Phar Lap, Carbine, Archer, Think Big and Makybe Diva who are known to many Australians. The winning trainers and jockeys also become part of Australian history. Bart Cummings has trained the Melbourne Cup winner twelve times, and also has been the trainer for other Group 1 winners. Famous jockeys to win the Melbourne Cup include Harry White, Glen Boss, Roy Higgins, John Letts and Damien Oliver.
The trophy for the Melbourne Cup is a distinctive cup with three handles. This design allows the owner, trainer and jockey to all hold it.
A unique aspect of the Melbourne Cup is that it is a holiday for the state of Victoria. This can lead to a four-day weekend for many as they also plan a holiday for the Monday.
Venue: Flemington Racecourse
Address: 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington
Phone: 03 8378 0888
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
This centre cost $65 million to build and opened in 1997 in Melbourne’s popular Albert Park precinct. The 2006 Commonwealth Games events were hosted at the centre as well as the 2007 World Swimming Championships. The Aquatic centre has a wet & wild wave pool which is turned on every half hour, as well as a 50m long water slide. Pools are indoor and outdoor, 50m and 25m as well as a diving pool. Aughtie Drive, Albert Park Lake (03 9926 1555) Light rail, tram and bus from city to Albert Park
Running
Melbourne is one of the best cities to run in. Southbank and the botanical gardens and the most favorite street in town, St Kilda Road, here you will pass the arty side of town, with it’s entertainment centers, art galleries and art academies.
If you want to feel like a real pro runner though, have a jog on the famous Tan Track, which runs parallel with the Botanical gardens, the track runs for 3.8km and is very popular with Melbourne’s joggers, runners and sports teams.
In fact at 6am any morning it is like a highway for runners. Known as The Tan due to it’s tan bark surface, Craig Mottrem has run one of his fastest times on this track as well as many other famous runners have trained here. The current record on the track was run in 2004 by Craig Mottram in 10 minutes, 12 seconds. However, it is just as popular with local and visiting joggers and known as the best place to run in Melbourne. Numerous entrances are around the Domain and is easy to reach by trams from city to St Kilda Road. A real highlight is if you catch some of the AFL teams doing a training run here.
If you like a coastal view, St Kilda Beach has great coastal paths that go on for miles, however, the gale force winds on some days can determine how strenuous your run can be.