Melbourne and sport are synonymous. Sport is such an integral part of the city's culture and psyche that Melbourne has gained national and international recognition as an unrivalled global sporting capital.

Melbourne Cricket Ground and Telstra Dome

If one venue defines Melburnians’ passion for sport, it’s the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or MCG – known affectionately as ‘the G’.

This colosseum hosts more than 100 days of cricket and Australian Rules Football every year and was the main stadium for the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Telstra Dome at the western end of the city, is a tour-de-force of stadium design, with computer-managed turf, retractable roof and moveable seats that allow the playing field to change from an oval for cricket and Aussie rules to a rectangle for rugby and soccer. Tours of the MCG and Telstra Dome give a ‘behind the scenes’ look to visitors all year round.

Australian Grand Prix

Each year in March, Melbourne is transformed into party central as the thunderous roar of Formula One hits town. The world’s fastest cars and a carnival of off-track entertainment come together to offer a 4-day carnival for the senses. For the ultimate in glamour, sophistication and style, make sure you’re at Albert Park from 15 – 18 March.

 

Australian Open Tennis Championships and Melbourne and Olympic Park

The MCG forms part of the city’s sporting precinct along with Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open Tennis Championships, and Olympic Park, which features the city’s rugby league team

Melbourne Storm and National Football (soccer) team, Melbourne Victory. Crowds flock to the Open – one of the four grand slam events – for the last two weeks each January. Tickets can be pre-bought or you can normally just turn up on the day and buy a ground pass.

Attendances top half a million during the fortnight and a retractable roof over the main stadium means the weather can’t foil matters.

Melbourne Park includes Rod Laver Arena and Vodafone Arena, which – tennis aside – hosts other sports including cycling. Tennis courts can also be hired year round, however are not available during the Australian Open.

Australian Rules Football and AFL World

For a quintessentially Melbourne experience, you must go to a game of Aussie Rules Football – known simply as ‘footy’.
The players are gods in this town and Melbourne hosts ten of the 16 sides that form

the Australian Football League. The game is fast paced and resembles elements of rugby and soccer. Games are played from February to September, with 96 days each year featuring a match at either the MCG or Telstra Dome. Crowds are noisy but well-behaved and only too happy to explain the rules for recent converts.

AFL World provides visitors with an opportunity to experience what it is like to play in an AFL Grand Final. Immerse yourself in this magical football experience that educates, inspires, interacts and involves visitors in the history, heritage and tradition of Australian Rules Football. It is a true football adventure.

Spring Racing Carnival and Australian Racing Museum

From mid-October to mid-November, all the attention focuses on the Spring Racing Carnival. With four major racing dates at Flemington Racecourse – Derby Day, Melbourne Cup, Oaks Day and Stakes Day – it is as much about the fashions on the field and the partying atmosphere as it is about the thoroughbreds.

The Melbourne Cup is the major attraction of the Carnival with $5.1 million prize money at stake. The horse race literally stops the nation on the first Tuesday in November and is a public holiday in Melbourne.

Champions – Australian Racing Museum & Hall of Fame at Federation Square showcases and celebrates the exciting world of thoroughbred racing and its place in world sport. It features the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, touring exhibitions and interactive, multimedia attractions.

Cricket

Australia, invariably among the world’s best sides, is a cricket-mad nation, as demonstrated by the mailbox number for ABC Radio, the national broadcaster – 9994 (99.94 being the batting average of the country’s cricketing hero, the late Sir Donald Bradman). Laze in the sun at the Melbourne Boxing Day Test match, which runs for up to five days, or follow the after-work crowds as they flock to a one-day match under lights. International cricket is played at the famous MCG from December to February.