The Melbourne Cricket Ground is not just a stadium. It is the beating heart of Melbourne sport and the reason this city treats game day like a public holiday.
If you are visiting Melbourne during the AFL season (March to September) or the cricket season (October to March), getting to the MCG should be at the top of your list. There is nothing quite like walking up through the parklands on a Friday night with 80,000 other people heading to the footy, or sitting in the stands on Boxing Day watching the first ball of a Test match.
The MCG is roughly 3 kilometres south of Fitzroy and Collingwood. You can walk it in about 35 minutes through the Edinburgh Gardens and along the Yarra, which is the best option on game day when public transport is heaving. Alternatively, take a tram down Wellington Parade from Collingwood or catch the Hurstbridge/Mernda line from Collingwood station to Jolimont, which is right at the ground.
AFL is Melbourne’s religion. The atmosphere at a big game, particularly a Friday night blockbuster or a final, is electric in a way that is hard to describe until you have experienced it. The season runs from March to the Grand Final in late September. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, and for most regular season games you can get them on the day. Finals and the Grand Final are a different story entirely.
If you are not sure which game to go to, a Collingwood home game at the MCG is the closest thing to a football carnival. The Collingwood fan base is enormous and loud, and the atmosphere reflects it.
The Boxing Day Test match is one of the great traditions in world sport. It is played every year starting on 26 December, and day one regularly draws crowds of 80,000 plus. Even if you are not a cricket tragic, the experience of sitting in the Great Southern Stand with a beer watching the first session is worth it for the atmosphere alone.
Beyond the Test, the MCG also hosts Big Bash League matches (Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades), which are shorter, louder, and designed for a crowd that wants entertainment as much as cricket.
The inner north is the best spot to eat and drink before heading to the MCG. Smith Street and Brunswick Street in Collingwood and Fitzroy are packed with bars and restaurants, and the walk from there to the ground takes you through some of Melbourne’s best parkland. After the game, the same strip is where most of the crowd ends up. Richmond’s Swan Street is another popular option if you want to stay closer to the ground.
If you cannot make it to a live event, the MCG runs daily tours that take you through the players’ rooms, the Long Room, and out onto the ground itself. The Australian Sports Museum inside the MCG is also worth a visit, particularly if you are interested in the history of Australian sport.
Looking for a place to stay near the MCG? Read our full guide to accommodation near the MCG in Fitzroy and Collingwood: https://artistabodes.com.au/accommodation-near-mcg-melbourne-fitzroy-collingwood/ or browse our listings at https://artistabodes.com.au/search-results/
