Sydney, Stadium Australia. September 2000. Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete of indigenous origin, lights the Olympic flame. A few days later, in the same stadium and in her famous swift-suit (exposed at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne), she wins a gold medal for the women's 400 metres and becomes the first athlete who lit the Olympic flame to win a gold medal at the same games. These are two of many unforgettable moments of some of the greatest sporting events in Australian history which has occured at ANZ Stadium (formerly known as Stadium Australia). The venue located in the heart of Sydney Olympic Park is the only stadium in the world to host five professional sports on a regular basis (rugby, rugby league, Australian football, football and cricket), in addition to large entertainment events. Guided tours of what is known as one of the world's finest and most technologically-advanced stadiums are also organized several times a day. Experiencing the thrill of running through the players' tunnel (with original Sydney 2000 Olympics cheering crowd sound) and standing on a genuine Sydney 2000 medal dais (photo), just like Cathy Freeman did 12 years ago, is quite an exciting experience for sports enthusiasts. A must see during a stay in Sydney!

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of ANZ Stadium.

Today we discover netball, after having experienced Australian football for the first time yesterday. Netball is a sport for women whose rules are inspired by basketball, minus contacts. We attended a game of the ANZ Championship, the pre-eminent netball league in the world. In Melbourne, Melbourne Vixens plays its home games at Hisense Arena, close to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This arena also recently hosted the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. We will not hide the fact we had preconceived negative ideas about the sport. But we realized that these ideas are not justified if netball has become the main female team sport in Australia and New Zealand! The game is tight. The atmosphere in the stands is electric. Our prejudice has quickly dissipated. We ended up cheering and being stressed as true Vixens fans! For the record the Melbourne Vixens won their match that day against the Queensland Firebirds in the last seconds after being held throughout the game.

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Melbourne Vixens.

The Melbourne FC invited us to attend a game of Australian Football League: a first for iPhoneography Oz. The game took place inside the prestigious Melbourne Cricket Ground, with opposing team the "Saints" of St Kilda FC, ​​another team from Melbourne. A dream place to watch a footy game! The atmosphere recalls the National Rugby League, but the game is even more intense. You can not get bored, it simply never stops! Soccer "starlets" players look like amateurs compared to them. For the record, although Melbourne FC lost that night, we will follow them throughout the season armed with our scarfs and our Demons horns (nickname of the team).

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Melbourne FC.

A visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground should be on your things to do list during a stay in Melbourne. Why? Because the "Ground" or "G", as called by the locals, is the largest stadium in Australia and the ninth or tenth largest stadium in the world with a capacity of 100,000 spectators. It is ahead of the Camp Nou in Barcelona (Spain), home of FC Barcelona, and the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). It also holds the world record for the highest light towers located in a stadium. It is an institution in Melbourne, home of the 1956 Summer Olympics and 2006 Commonwealth Games. But its use does not only serve national and international sport (cricket, football, Australian football, rugby etc.). The greatest singers and bands have performed here: David Bowie, Paul McCartney, U2, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Billy Joel and The Police.
We attended a tour at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Taking part in their guided tour is an unforgettable experience. The view from the top floor of the stands is nothing less than impressive. The guide makes sure you do not miss a thing about the behind the scenes of this architectural gem. Each tour lasts approximately one hour. The Melbourne Cricket Ground also hosts the National Sports Museum which will be discussed tomorrow.

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia is the country of rugby rather than football (or soccer). Recently we attended a game of the NRL, but we thought we could give soccer a chance by attending Sydney FC game against Newcastle Jets. And what a surprise! The atmosphere created by the fans was as good as what you would find in certain Ligue 1 stadiums. Although the stadium was only half full, we were close to 15,000 spectators. The level of play of the A-League looks interesting and the show offered by both teams was certainly worth the trip. For the record, Sydney FC won 3-2. A modern stadium, a good atmosphere and some goals, all the essential ingredients for an awesome afternoon at the Allianz Stadium!

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Sydney FC.

We recently attended a National Rugby League (NRL) championship game between two teams from Sydney area, namely Cronulla Sharks and Manly Sea Eagles (defending champion). The NRL is one of the most prestigious competitions of rugby league in the world and the most popular in Australia in terms of attendance, audience and merchandising. It operates on a franchise system in a closed championship (as in the NBA, NFL or NHL). It is composed of sixteen Australian franchises from the east coast and one from New Zealand. The atmosphere is similar to the one you can experience at the Montreal Alouettes or Université Laval's Rouge et Or. A must do during a stay in Australia!

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of National Rugby League.