The Final Countdown…Only 1 Month To Go

The Final Countdown…Only 1 Month To Go

The Queen’s Baton Relay is in the final straight, and just a month from now (15 March 2006) it will arrive in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to signify the start of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Over 80,000 spectators will attend the Opening Ceremony celebrations and 4,500 athletes will be ready to compete for gold for their home team over 12 days of competition.

The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games will be one of the largest shows ever staged in Victoria. The Ceremony will not just be confined within the boundaries of the MCG – it will involve an extraordinary cross-section of the community, brought together in new ways to open the Games with one of the largest community events in Victoria’s history. Up to 8,000 performers, volunteers and athletes from across the Commonwealth will be involved in this spectacular celebration of Australia’s culture, its spirit and its people.

Melbourne has been preparing for the Games and the city is ready. The famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, located right on the city edge has been redeveloped and offers sports lovers fantastic views of the playing ground. The capacity of the MCG will be approximately 80,000 people during the Games and increases to 90,000 when the athletics track is taken out after the Games. The Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre will seat 7,800 fans with close-up spectating for the swimming competition, to enable them to cheer their team for gold.

The Games village will be home to 4,500 athletes and 1,500 officials and is located on the city fringe in the suburb of Parkville. Athletes from around the world will be welcomed to the village from the 5 March onwards as they arrive to get ready to compete in their various sports.

Over 15,000 volunteers from around Australia have devoted their time and skills to the Games and to assisting visitors to the city. The volunteers work in a variety of roles from drivers and cooks, to helping the athletes at the village. Visitors to Melbourne will be well cared for by the volunteers who will be able to provide assistance with directions and suggest dining options.

Melbourne’s public transport services will move visitors from venues to accommodation with ease. Indeed, Commonwealth Games tickets holders receive free public transport on metropolitan trains, trams and buses that accept Metcards on the day of the event.

Melbourne's Southern Cross Station has been redeveloped into a world-class public transport interchange, with fast rail connections to regional Victorian centres and new facilities for rail, taxi and bus passengers. With its striking visual appearance, the redeveloped Southern Cross Station will be a distinctive landmark when fully complete.

Premier Events Group, the Official Ticket and Tour Operator in New Zealand for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games make getting to Melbourne easy. With plenty of tickets still available see the Premier Events website for further information.

For more information on Victoria see http://www.visitmelbourne.com/nz For more information on the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games see http://www.melbourne2006.com.au For tickets and packages see http://www.premiereventsgroup.com

ENDS

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