Day 20: MCG and ACMI

This morning I got up and made my way towards Flinders Street Station. I had a booking to do a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) at 11:00 so went to look for breakfast before taking the tram to Yarra Park.

I wandered down Degraves Street, a narrow laneway with many cafes to choose from. I found a small spot with a very reasonably priced breakfast menu. For less than $20, I had a cappuccino, and bacon and eggs on sourdough.

I then made my way over to Flinders Street Station to catch the tram to the MCG.

I was a bit early, so I stood on the bridge crossing the southeastern railway lines for about ten minutes, watching the trains go into and come out of the city.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is the most notable venue for Australian sport. It has been in the same location since 1853, although various renovations over the years have seen it completely rebuilt since then. With a capacity of just over 100,000, it’s also the largest stadium in Australia.

While its name implies it’s only used for cricket, the MCG also hosts the AFL Grand Final each year. The Australian Football League was called the Victorian Football League until 1990, highlighting just how large the sport is in the state. Ten of the 18 teams are from Victoria, with the other eight located interstate.

I went inside and was met by Barrie, our tour guide. He was 85 years old and full of energy, excited to show us around the grounds. We first went onto the field, where we saw the groundskeepers doing some watering. The Grand Final had been just a few weeks prior, so they were getting ready for cricket.

Afterwards, we went down into one of the team locker rooms.

Next to the locker room was the press room.

We then went upstairs, checking out the media centre. There were setups for the papers, radio and TV, complete with a canteen.

I really enjoyed the tour of the MCG. It’s too bad I wasn’t there to see any games, but again, just another excuse to go back! After the tour, I went for a train trip along the Mernda line.

Unlike Sydney, Melbourne’s train frequencies are generally lower, especially outside of peak hours. I had just missed a train and ended up waiting 15 minutes for the next one. I got off at Hawkstowe, the penultimate station, after seeing the train to the city was due to pull in within the minute.

After getting back to Flinders Street, I decided to visit ACMI, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. This is the Australian national museum for cinema, television, video games and digital culture. Best of all, it had free admission!

I wandered through the exhibits which had lots of interactive displays. I spent some time trying out various video games, and even got the high score on Pac-Man.

The exhibit on digital culture was quite interesting, and I ended up seeing an entertaining take on one of my favourite shows, Succession. Unfortunately, my trip was cut short as staff began escorting us out of the building an hour before the closing time. We were never told what was going on, and it looked like the staff didn’t even know themselves.

I really enjoyed going through ACMI, although it would have been great to have the extra hour to finish it off. I took the tram back towards my hotel and had dinner at a banh mi place I had seen a few days before.

Today by the numbers

Steps taken: 11,793