Day 8: Saturday 10 January 2026

We were so tired after travelling and the heat yesterday that we slept very soundly.  We then headed to breakfast and were pleasant surprised to discover that the breakfast buffet was one of if not the most extensive we'd ever experienced.  As is our pattern on this trip we had a huge breakfast and then went to catch up on Traitors which was an amazing episode.

We then set off on foot to explore Melbourne.  The temperature had dropped significantly from yesterday (thank goodness!) so it was very pleasant.  Our destination was the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) but we weren't sure how close it was. We needn't have worried. We walked along the River Yarra and could see floodlights ahead of us. We soon realised we were in sports heaven. First of all we found Melbourne Park which was gearing up for the Australian Open Tennis which would start the following Monday.  We also passed what we assumed was a ground for Aussie rules football and then we found the MCG.  It all seemed fairly quiet and we walked round looking at the statues, including Sir Don Bradman, until we found the main entrance.  We were surprised to find that we couldn't get on a tour for a couple of hours but enjoyed time in the shop and the café, both of which were lovely.

The tour of the MCG was led by one of the volunteers, Graeme! He was a lovely man and took us to the pitch side, the changing rooms, Media centre, a hospitality suite and the Long Room. It was a really excellent tour of a fabulous cricket ground which is also used for Aussie rules football, athletics and a music venue.

When the tour ended we made our way back past the AAMI stadium (which resembled the Eden project). There were lots of people about wearing navy sports shirts and we learned that it was the home of both Melbourne soccer teams - Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory.  The game today was Melbourne Victory.

We had been told about Young and Jackson, a very old drinking den near the station.  It was very busy and noisy but we had a drink and some food there.

We then walked back to the hotel. The streets were very lively with buskers and people enjoying the warm Saturday evening.

 

Taking questions at the post-match press conference