In a sports mad country, nowhere else in Australia are people quite so fanatical as Melbourne, as witnessed in its successful hosting of the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
This passion for sport is a large part of the city's identity, and few cities in the world can boast so spectacular a list of top events. Whether it's international cricket, grand slam tennis, formula one, or the local favourite Aussie rules, Melbourne has all sports fans covered.
Australian Open Tennis
The first grand slam of the tennis calendar takes place at Melbourne Park each January. For two weeks the city is gripped by tennis fever as fans flock to see their Aussie favourites take on the world's best. It's also a chance for Melbourne's large Greek, Serbian and Croatian expat communities to come out in force.
The Australian Open has been held at Melbourne Park since 1988, though at that time the venue was originally known as Flinders Park. Nowadays, the two main courts - The Rod Laver Arena and the Vodafone Arena are covered by retractable roofs.
- Melbourne Park is just a short walk or tram ride away from the city centre.
- The 2009 Australian Open will be held from January 19th - February 1st.
Formula One
Often the first race of the formula one season, the Australian Grand Prix is a highlight of Melbourne's sporting and social calendar. The race has been held at the beautiful, lakeside setting of the Albert Park circuit since 1996 when the race was moved from Adelaide.
Tickets are great value compared to the British and other European based grand prix, either for race day itself or for the practice and qualifying sessions. The city goes F1 crazy around the time of the grand prix, particularly the Italian community of Carlton, where the bars and restaurants of Lygon Street turn into a Ferrari shrine.
- The 2009 Australian Grand Prix will be held from 26-29 March.
Cricket - Boxing Day Test
One of the annual highlights of Australian sport is the Boxing Day Test Match held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the world's truly great sporting venues.
Cricket on Boxing day is a true Melbourne institution and draws huge crowds whoever the opposition, but especially so against the old enemy England. In 2006 the attendance was 89,000 and now that extensive rebuilding work has been completed, the capacity has risen to nearly 100,000.
- The MCG also plays host to one day international cricket including day night floodlit matches, and domestic cricket for the Victoria Bushrangers.
- The first Boxing Day Test took place in 1950, when Australia beat England by 28 runs.
- The first Test Match played at the MCG was between Australia and England in 1877.
- In 1971 it hosted the world's first One Day International Cricket match.
Horse Racing - The Melbourne Cup
Another event firmly entrenched in the Australian sporting and social calendar is the Melbourne Cup, billed as the race that stops a nation. It takes place on the first Tuesday in November and is Australia's richest race and regarded as one of the world's most prestigious race meetings.
Aussie Rules
Australian Rules Football was born in the state of Victoria and is Melbourne's number one winter sport. Although the game has gradually spread to other regions of Australia, Melbourne remains its spiritual home and the majority of AFL teams are still based in and around Melbourne, including St Kilda, Hawthorne, Richmond and Collingwood.
Having a beer and a pie at the footy is a classic Melbourne pastime, either at the MCG or a host of smaller grounds and no visit to Melbourne is complete without experiencing it.
Melbourne's Sport and Aquatic Centre
Situated in Albert Park, the Aquatic Centre boasts superb state of the art facilities including a 50m length swimming pool, a 25m warm up pool and excellent diving facilities.
- The centre also has a 75m pool tank for water polo and has a large complex of badminton courts.
Matt Adams - I'm a freelance writer focussing on subjects that are of great interest to me, namely travel and adventure sports. I have travelled ...
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