Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct facts for kids
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a huge area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It's packed with many different sports stadiums and places where big events happen. This special area is about 3 kilometers east of Melbourne's city center. You can find it in the suburbs of Melbourne and Jolimont, close to East Melbourne and Richmond.
Many people call it Australia's "top sports spot." It often hosts some of the biggest sports events from Australia and around the world. These include the exciting AFL Grand Final (for Australian rules football), the famous Australian Open (tennis tournament), and the Boxing Day Test (cricket match). This precinct has also been home to major international events like the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
The entire precinct is made up of three main parts: Olympic Park, Melbourne Park, and Yarra Park.
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Exploring Melbourne's Sports Venues
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct has three main areas: Olympic Park, Melbourne Park, and Yarra Park. The Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust manages Olympic Park and Melbourne Park together. The Melbourne Cricket Club looks after Yarra Park separately. This whole area is bordered by Wellington Parade to the north, Punt Road to the east, the Yarra River to the south, and Batman Avenue to the west.
Olympic Park: Home to Modern Sports
Olympic Park is a key part of the precinct, featuring several important venues.
- AAMI Park (capacity 30,050): This is a modern outdoor stadium built for rectangular field sports. It's perfect for rugby league, rugby union, and association football (soccer). It also hosts big outdoor concerts.
- Melbourne Sports & Entertainment Centre: This indoor facility is mainly used for training by the Collingwood Football Club. It used to be a stadium for swimming and basketball, holding 7,000 people.
- Olympic Park Oval (capacity 3,000): This is an outdoor field and running track. It's mostly used for training by the Collingwood Football Club.
- Gosch's Paddock: This public playing field is now used by the Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club, and Melbourne Victory FC for training.
Past Venues of Olympic Park
Over the years, some venues in Olympic Park have changed or been replaced.
- Eastern Sportsground: This stadium hosted field hockey during the 1956 Olympics. It was later used for greyhound racing before being removed to make way for AAMI Park.
- Motordrome: This was a former speedway and Australian rules football ground. It was taken down in 1951 and replaced by Olympic Park Stadium.
- Olympic Park Stadium (capacity 18,500): This outdoor stadium was once the main place for track and field events and rectangular field sports. It was replaced by AAMI Park in 2011 and then taken down.
- Velodrome (capacity 4,400): This indoor cycling track was used for track cycling events at the 1956 Olympics. It was located where the northern part of AAMI Park now stands.
Melbourne Park: Tennis Central
Melbourne Park is famous for its tennis courts and other indoor arenas.
- Rod Laver Arena (capacity 15,000): This is the main venue for large indoor concerts and the center court for tennis at Melbourne Park. It has a retractable roof that can open and close. It has also hosted basketball games.
- John Cain Arena (capacity 10,500): This venue is great for basketball and netball. It's the second-largest tennis court in Melbourne Park and also hosts indoor concerts. It can even be turned into a velodrome for major track cycling events. It also has a retractable roof.
- Margaret Court Arena (capacity 7,500): This is the third-largest tennis court in Melbourne Park. It's also used for netball, basketball, music, and other events. It has a retractable roof.
- Show Court Arena (capacity 5,000): This outdoor tennis court opened before the 2022 Australian Open. It is the fourth-largest tennis court in the park.
- Melbourne Park Tennis Complex/National Tennis Centre: This area includes two outdoor show courts (each seating 3,000 people), five indoor courts, and twenty-eight outdoor Greenset courts. There are also eight clay courts for public use. All these courts are used for professional matches and are available for public hire.
Yarra Park: Home of the MCG
Yarra Park is a large green space that includes Australia's most famous stadium.
- Melbourne Cricket Ground (capacity 100,000): Known as the "MCG," this is the biggest stadium in the precinct. It's the main place for cricket and Australian rules football. Sometimes, it hosts other big sports events too.
- Punt Road Oval (capacity 2,800): This is the training facility for the Richmond Football Club. It used to host VFL/AFL Australian rules football matches and premier grade cricket.
- National Sports Museum: This museum is located at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It's a great place to learn about Australian sports history.
Past Venues of Yarra Park
- East Melbourne Cricket Ground: This ground was in the north-western part of Yarra Park. It was used for Australian rules football and cricket. It was taken down in 1922 to make space for the Jolimont railyards.
The 1956 Summer Olympics Connection
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct played a big role in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Several venues within the precinct hosted Olympic events. These included track cycling, field hockey, soccer, and aquatic events.
Getting to the Precinct
It's easy to get to the precinct! It's located right next to the Richmond and Jolimont train stations. All trains going to the eastern side of Melbourne stop at one of these two stations. You can also take tram route 70 from the city center.
There are three footbridges to help you cross the railway lines that divide the northern and southern parts of the precinct. If you're driving, you can find ticketed car parking in Yarra Park around the Melbourne Cricket Ground during big events. Free parking on nearby streets is available but often limited.
