The time-honoured Melbourne Cricket Ground has made history of its own with the opening of a landmark transformation of the Australian Sports Museum.
Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley joined Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox to officially open the museum, made possible thanks to a $5 million investment from the Victorian Government.
“There is no place in the world like the MCG and no better place to tell the story of Australian sport,” said Minister Foley. “The new and improved Australian Sports Museum is a terrific advertisement for the work of Victoria’s creative sector and our capacity to create crowd-stopping cultural attractions.”
The MCG museum is home to Australia’s largest collection of sporting memorabilia, including Don Bradman’s baggy green cap, Cathy Freeman’s unforgettable running suit from the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games cauldron.
The renovations and upgrade bring sporting history to life at one of the world’s most iconic sporting venues. The new museum has been a year in the making and includes an Australian football section with an interactive Hall of Fame.
There’s also an upgraded education zone for school groups, new characters added to the popular “Pepper’s Ghost” holograms including Richmond Football Club premiership hero Bachar Houli and Carlton AFLW star Tayla Harris, and a new gallery celebrating Australia’s sporting culture.
With more than 140,000 people from Australia and overseas visiting the museum or taking an MCG tour each year, the new facility will provide even more reason for fans to come to the home of Australian sport. For more information, visit: www.australiansportsmuseum.org.au for details.
Image: One of the interactive displays at the Australian Sports Museum – courtesy of the Australian Sports Museum