Henry's first day in Melbourne and we had already fluffed the first assignment to book tickets at the local cinema to see Red Dog a recent Australian film that is a must see. Evidently it will be out on DVD when you read this so we will look forward to seeing it on the small screen.
Our plan was to visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground or MCG as it is universally known. It lies within a stones throw of the CBD (or Central Business District for all the non-Australian readers) and is a focus for many of the sporting events that happen in the city, although there have been some notable non-sporting ones.
A few of the main points that we wanted to share with you,
This is the 3rd site for the ground.
Cricket only accounts for 10% of it's use while AFL (Aussie Rules Football) accounts for 90%.
The cricket square is grown in a series of containers that are transported into the ground at the start of summer. It takes 2 weeks to prepare but only 2 days to transform ready for AFL.
It is the 3rd largest seating capacity stadium in the world (over 110,000).
For many years it held the record for attendance at a baseball game in the world (Melbourne Olympics).
Waiting list to become a member of MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club) is 20 years so get yourself nominated now!
All in all a fascinating tour of a modern stadium with a long history.
We followed this with a visit to the sports museum in the lower floors of the ground. Many interesting exhibits of which the best we thought were the Olympics area and the star exhibit featuring Shane Warne. I won't spoil the surprise by explaining in more detail suffice it to say it is the first time I had seen anything like it and just shows how technology can bring museums bang up-to date.
For some unknown reason Nicola then wanted to visit the nearby Fairy Tree in Fitzroy Gardens. I have to tell you that it is as crappy as the title suggests and is definitely NOT worth the effort. It is also very close to the Model Tudor Village, a gift from the people of Lewisham to the people of Melbourne for supplying food during the war. Another location to strike from the map.
By now our feet were ready for a rest on what was a hot day so we took the free tram as far as we could and returned home. Spent the evening eating, chatting and watching Debby's video of her recent skydive.