Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SPORTING SYDNEY
Throughout Australia sport is a
there is no end to the variety of sports
you can watch. Thousands gather at
the Aussie Stadium (Sydney Football
Stadium) and Sydney Cricket Ground
every weekend while, for those who
cannot make it, sport reigns supreme
on weekend television.
way of life and Sydney is no
exception. On any day you'll see
locals on golf courses at dawn, running
on the streets keeping fit, or having a
quick set of tennis after work. At
weekends, during summer and winter,
St Michael's
and
Warringah
golf courses. It is sensible to
phone beforehand for a book-
ing, especially at weekends.
Tennis is another favoured
sport. Courts available for hire
can be found all over Sydney.
Many centres also have floodlit
courts available for night
time. Try
Cooper Park
or
Parkland Sports
Centre.
CRICKET
During the summer months
Test cricket and one-day
internationals are played at
the Sydney Cricket Ground
(SCG). Tickets for weekday
sessions of the Tests can often
be bought at the gate, although
it is advisable to book well in
advance (through
Ticketek
)
for weekend sessions of Test
matches and for all the one-
day international matches.
Australia versus the All Blacks, SFS
Olympic Park is by far the
biggest venue. Tickets for
State of Origin and Test
matches often sell out as soon
as they go on sale.
Rugby union is the second
most popular football code.
Again, matches at Test level
sell out very quickly. For some
premium trans-Tasman rivalry,
catch a Test match between
Australia's “Wallabies” and the
New Zealand “All Blacks”.
RUGBY LEAGUE AND
RUGBY UNION
The popularity of rugby
league knows no bounds in
Sydney. This is what people
are referring to when they talk
about “the footie”. There are
three major competition levels:
local, State of Origin - which
matches Queensland against
New South Wales - and Tests.
The “local” competition fields
teams from all over Sydney as
well as Newcastle, Canberra,
Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth,
the Gold Coast, Far North
Queensland and Auckland,
New Zealand.
These matches are held all
over Sydney, although the
Telstra Stadium at Sydney
Playing golf at Moore Park, one of
Sydney's public courses
AUSTRALIAN RULES
FOOTBALL
Although not as popular as in
Melbourne, “Aussie Rules”
has a strong following in
Sydney. The local team, the
Sydney Swans, plays its home
games at the Sydney Cricket
Ground during the season.
Check a local paper for details.
Rivalry between the Sydney
supporters and their Melbourne
counterparts is always strong.
Bus loads of diehard fans from
the south arrive to cheer on
their teams. Tickets can usual-
ly be bought at the ground on
the day of the game.
GOLF AND TENNIS
Golf enthusiasts need not do
without their round of golf.
There are many courses
throughout Sydney where vis-
itors are welcome at all times.
These include
Moore Park
,
BASKETBALL
Basketball has grown in
popularity as both a spec-
tator and recreational sport in
recent years. Sydney has male
and female teams competing
in the National Basketball
League. The games, held at
the Sydney Entertainment
One-day cricket match between Australia and the West Indies, SCG
