Melbourne Cricket Ground Tour – Thanks Max!

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From Federation Square it was only a short walk to the ground past the river where a sustainability festival was in full swing.Whilst walking up the concourse with a selection of weird sounds playing from speakers built into the bridge, the magnitude of the 100’000 seater stadium really begins to impress you.

We met Max our guide for the afternoon and after a quick introduction we walked out into the lower stands. With the sun shining on us Max pointed out each of the three stands that make up the ground, as well as the history of how the stadium had evolved; interestingly the ground was originally located where Spencer Street station now stands. With the South Australian Red Back’s warming up on the pitch in preparation for their game the next day, he also pointed out a yellow seat on the second tier which marks the spot where the biggest ‘6’ landed and was hit by former Victorian and Australian all-rounder Simon O’Donnell.

On our way to the Team’s boxes, we walked along the astro turf perimeter, where it was also possible to sneak a toe on the famous turf providing you weren’t caught! When we arrived at the areas that the team use to observe the game, the various entry points and some of the associated traditions were pointed out.

The next stop was the lower levels of the stadium, past the practise nets and gym to the area the cricket teams share for lunch when playing at the stadium. See if you can spot what shouldn’t be parked where it is! Normally at this point you would have a tour of the changing rooms, although as the Red Backs were using them today, we weren’t allowed in.

We took the lift up to the top tier of the stadium to get a really impressive view. At this point it was clear to see the stadium was actually oval. Something we hadn’t realised was that besides using the ground for AFL games in the winter, the MCG has also hosted Football and athletics at the Olympics and Common Wealth Games, although this has required significant reworking to the stadium over the years, including demolishing areas temporarily and laying running tracks. Max also explained that the cricket pitches actually sit on a large concrete slab, and are taken out during the AFL season via the use of specialised machinery and live in the Cricket Pitch Nursery. In addition there have also been concerts held at the stadium for the likes of the 3 Tenors, although the focus of the MCG is now as a sporting arena due to the associated complexity of hosting music events. We then moved to the outside perimeter of the stadium and one of the members’ terraces where you got an impressive view of the CBD.

Getting to the final stages of the tour we headed to the famous Melbourne Cricket Club. With its heritage dating back nearly as long as the city’s history, you can understand why it’s so significant. Thankfully for us they don’t enforce the strict dress code on tour members, otherwise we would not have been allowed in! Whilst we rested on the comfy seats reserved for the senior members of the club, Max talked us through how the MCC had such a large membership, with a waiting list of approximately 17 years. Although Max is a long serving member of the club at 50 years, he told us there is one member of over 80 years! On the way to the clubs reception area we passed the Long Room, as well as a huge tapestry that captures the history of the club, and the original gates to the club with some of the members memories cast into them.

Just before saying our farewells to Max and the rest of the group, Max recited a host of records, achievements and figures from his memory of watching games at the ground, although we won’t embarrass ourselves by trying to repeat them on here!

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Photos

The yellow seat
marking the spot that the biggest '6' was landed