As the home of the Vodafone Ashes Boxing Day Test and the largest cricket ground in the world it is easy to see why the MCG remains at the heart of the city. Lords, Eden Gardens, Yankee Stadium and Wembley are considered to be among the best sporting stadiums in the world, but for pure history, drama and emotion it is hard to beat the MCG or the G as the locals call it. 
The club was founded in 1838 but it was not until 1853 that they moved to their present location. Since that time, the MCG has seen many redevelopments with the latest instalment completed in 2006. This new Northern Grandstand is the 14th stand to be erected replacing the Ponsford, Members and Olympic Grandstands. Prior to this and a series of developments that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s the ground possessed a capacity of around 125,000. But the extension of individual seating to all of the ground has reduced the figure to around 97,000, still an imposing number I think you will agree.
The MCG has often been the first for technological innovations. It was for example the home of Australia's first full colour video scoreboard replacing the old one in1982 and the first scoreboard showing batman's name and method of dismissal. As well as this the MCG staged the first ever Test match in 1877 and the first One Day International game in 1971. Add to this the first ever Test match century being recorded here and it is easy to see why it is such a popular venue. Not forgetting the infamous moment when Trevor Chappell delivered his final ball under arm!
Pitches at the MCG have generally produced evenly balanced contests between bat and ball. No better example of this is the 1992 World Cup Final between England and Pakistan and the 1982/83 Ashes Test. The ground has also seen its fair share of controversial moments most notably Darrell Hair calling Muralitharan for successive no balls.
The MCG is also known for its electric atmosphere, much of which is generated in the electric Bay 13. Famous for mimicking the likes of Merv Hughes performing his warm up routine and continually belting out Warney for the duration of the match. Very childish!
The MCG is a busy place with more than 90 days of cricket and Aussie Rules played on the surface each year reaching attendance levels of 3.5 million annually. So if your passion for sport extends beyond your love of cricket then you will definitely enjoy Melbourne. With the city hosting the Formula One Grand Prix, the Australian Tennis Open and the home of Aussie rules football it is little wonder it has been dubbed the unofficial sporting capital of the country.
But to limit Melbourne to just sporting venues would be unfair. The city has lots to offer which will make your stay in Victoria memorable. It has a vibrant energy with overwhelming choices of restaurants, bars, cafés, museums and art galleries. With a population of 3.7 million, Melbourne is the second biggest city in Australia with loads to offer. Just an hour's drive from the city centre you can enjoy some of the country's most spectacular coastlines and rural areas. The Great Ocean Road provides the perfect outlet to escape the hustle and bustle of city life as you explore this famous 150 mile stretch of road whilst exploring gorgeous character filled rural towns.
