I attended the cricket One Day International, Australia v Sri Lanka at the MCG in mid January so my review is simply from watching a match there and getting there.

From the city centre (Flinders Street station/Federation Square) it is a nice 10/15 minute walk by the river or various trams will take you there. You get a great view of the ground from Princes Bridge, next to the station. It is perectly safe in my opinion to walk back into town after a match when dark if you are in the match crowds. I have done it enough times from the adjacent Rod Laver arena during the Australian Open tennis.

If you want a good view at an International match go for seat in the area behind the bowlers arm. It will cost you more but you will be much closer to the action. For most matches, the ground will not be full so you can wander round to most stands which I did. I was quite surprised that many seats are an awfully long way from the playing area and that is something worth considering if you are attending a popular match.

One of the iconic sports venues in Australia and very easy to get to and every sports fan should try and take in a match of some sort at the MCG.

The MCG is picture perfect. Its a national iconic stadium as well as having fabulous function facilities & conference rooms. It gives me chills everytime I go here. Its just massive & the atmosphere is fabulous for a cricket or footy match. If you can get to Melbourne whilst something is on here you wont regret it

If you are visiting Melbourne and love sports then this is a must do tour. MCG is a multi-purpose ground with the ground used for cricket in the summers and football in winters. It has also been used for some Olympic and commonwealth game events.

The tour is a great way to see the ground and learn about its history and the sporting greats who have played at the grounds. We had a great time on the tour which lasted for about 1 hr and 15 mins. The tour guide took us to the ground, the various stands, locker rooms, press room, the long room etc while giving us interesting snippets and statistics about the grounds. The guide also showed us some interesting landmarks around the MCG which could be seen from the grounds.

The visit to the sports museum was also very interesting; it has a lot of details and mementos about Australian sports history. You are given a headphone which gives a verbal commentary about the various items in the museum. One of the most fascinating things about the museum is a 10 min 3D show of Shane Warne - Australia's cricketing legend. There is also a separate area for the cricket museum. An interactive sports area in the Museum, allows you to try your hands at various sports like cricket, football, archery, basketball, soccer etc. We loved spending time in this area. The staff at the Museum is very friendly and helpful and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the museum or the history of sports.

The tour alone costs A$20 per adult and an additional A$10 if you want to visit the sports museum as well.

How can you visit Australia and not experience what all Aussies do. Watch the cricket (summer) and Footy (winter).

I recommend you take general admittance tickets which are the cheapest and sit up in the stands as it is generally under cover. Most of the time you can move around during the games to get a better seat. Think of where the sun may be in the summer if you are watching Cricket as you can get pretty sunburned if you are not prepared.

DO NOT SIT IN BAY 13 as it is for the "yobbos" - Definition of a Yobbo? Loud offensive, drunken etc etc - not the place for the family or visitors to Aus.

Cricket is a slow game so dont expect the hype of the Superbowl. But Aussie rules football is the opposite - fast, loud, action packed terrific to watch.

But dont be put off by me describing Cricket as slow. It is a gentleman's game with an exceptionally high level of skill. Try to imagine a base-baller catching a ball that is harder and travelling faster with his bare hands, (either in outfield or in a similar position as a short stop) and him hitting that same ball with a bat that is made from solid Oak, whilst wearing heavy Pads (Knee, Leg, Thigh, box and a helmet) - running about the same distance from home plate to first over 100 times flat out..... And then the bowlers running over 100 meters hundreds of times bowling at speeds faster again than baseball. Lastly they do this over a period of 6 - 8 hours. Get the picture. I hope you can enjoy the subtleties of Cricket.

I would recommend you attend a one day match or even a match called a 20/20. These games are shorter and more action packed and are only played at an international level at the MCG.

Dont be afraid to ask the people sitting next to you how the game works - generally most people would be delighted to explain the games to you.

Oh and structurally, it holds around 90,000 people and is spectacular sight to see in its own right.
Have fun.





Dont