MCC Museum and MCG Tours, Melbourne, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

The MCC Museum and MCG Tours are the main visitor experiences at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the vast stadium in Yarra Park, East Melbourne, in Melbourne. The museum tells the story of the Melbourne Cricket Club and of Australian sport, while the guided tours take you behind the scenes of the ground. It matters because the MCG has hosted Test cricket, Australian rules football and an Olympic Games.

The story behind it

The Melbourne Cricket Club was founded in 1838, only a few years after the city itself was settled, and it has played a part in the growth of Melbourne ever since. The club has been based on the present Yarra Park site since the early 1850s, and the ground has been rebuilt and enlarged many times, with the stands growing steadily over the decades.

Some of the biggest dates in Australian sport happened here. The first Test match between Australia and England was played at the MCG in 1877, and the stadium was the main arena of the 1956 Olympic Games. It is also the traditional home of the AFL Grand Final. The club museum gathers memorabilia and stories that connect these moments to the people who played and watched.

What to look for

• The sheer scale of the stands as you walk around the outside of the ground, which only makes sense once you stand next to them.
• The statues of sporting figures in the parkland around the stadium, which make a good short photo stop before or after your visit.
• The museum displays of cricket and football memorabilia, which show how the two sports shaped the club's history.
• The view across the oval from inside the stands on a tour, which gives you a real sense of the crowds the ground can hold.

Tips for your visit

• Allow around two hours if you want to combine the museum with a guided tour, and a little more if you like to read every display.
• Check current opening hours and tour times before you go, as access can change on match days and during events.
• The stadium is a short walk from the city centre through Yarra Park, and nearby stations and tram routes make it easy to reach on foot or by public transport.
• Fitzroy Gardens, Birrarung Marr and the Melbourne Park precinct are close by, so the visit fits neatly into a wider walk around the area.

Explore it on a quest

The streets and parks around the MCG are best seen on foot, and a self-guided quest is a relaxed way to do it. You walk from place to place, the app tells you about each stop as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in what is in front of you. Browse the quests in Melbourne to find a route that suits your day.