Australia – All eyes are focused on Melbourne with the cricket World Cup tournament underway. Expect just on 100 000 dedicated fans to be there at this beautiful Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the opener.
My wife Dawn and I will be heading to Melbourne to see our South African Proteas tackle Sri Lanka in a Pool B match next Sunday – and hopefully we’ll be in the stadium when our boys contest the final on March 29 (fingers crossed!).
We have been to the MCG on three previous occasions – two Boxing Day Test matches and a marathon.
Although we have visited several Australian cities, cosmopolitan Melbourne is the area we know best.
But before you get there, some advice. On arrival in Australia do have all your paperwork handy and in order as immigration and border control is very strict. Don’t import African wooden carvings (that’s from experience) or any food items.
I once took two muffins off the plane and the sniffer dogs wouldn’t leave me alone until I’d been searched! Do declare your medications and have them handy with a copy of your prescription(s).
Once through customs you are away, but remember, flying west to east is the worst for jetlag and unless you are fortunate enough to be able to sleep on the plane, you can almost write off your first couple of days as you will be so tired.
Don’t plan too many activities as it takes a while for the body clock to adjust to the time difference of up to six hours (Perth) or nine hours (Melbourne).
One of the first places you should call on (in any city really) is the Visitor Information Centre. Melbourne has a really good one – a huge underground complex with brightly lit wall maps, brochures, souvenirs and leaflets. It’s opposite Flinders Street Station on the edge of the Federation Square complex (more or less the hub of the city).
This large indoor and outdoor facility is home to many shops, bars and restaurants and is a 3.2 hectare complex linked by pathways and stairways to the Yarra River, with all its various attractions, and also joins up with a 2km walkway which will take you past the new Birrarung Marr Park and into the hallowed grounds of the MCG.
At the Visitor Centre help yourself to the free Official Visitors Guide Book. It’s a comprehensive guide to the greater Melbourne area, but, best of all, there are discount coupons in the centre pages which make a considerable saving on some excursions.
For instance, a ferry trip coupon (up or down the river) is two for the price of one. A saving of A$24 (or R240). Other discount coupons can be used at local shops and restaurants.
There is often an outdoor theme at Federation Square, so you could be part of a great vibe while viewing the cricket on large public screens. Depending on the weather (usually extremely hot – sometimes 40º Celsius) you may choose to enjoy refreshments either in air-conditioned indoor comfort at The Atrium or outdoors at St Paul’s Court. Locals often say: “If you’re not sure about the weather, then wait 10 minutes” – and all too often it turns out to be true!
All forms of local transport – trams, buses and trains – use the MYKI travel card. Again, the Visitor Centre will sell you one (with discount coupons) or they can be obtained from most local newsagents. It’s a one-stop swipe card and useful for getting around and about, not only in the city but to outlying areas as well. Just load it up with the amount you need for your stay in Aussie dollars.
Another thing to remember” if, like us, you are pensioners, request the senior’s discount.
So “don’t be a raw prawn, mate”. Obey all local rules and you’ll be bowled over by the hospitality of your Aussie hosts and be knocked for a six at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
See Dawn & Gary Pickering’s adventures as The Travelling Pensioners on their own website, www.travelingpensioners.com
Saturday Star