Melbourne gears up for Commonwealth Games

The Australian city of Melbourne is gearing up for an influx of tourists with the 2006 Commonwealth Games heading up an impressive list of events.

More than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations will descend on the capital of Victoria for the Games, which take place between March 15th and March 26th.

Away from the action, which will be centred around the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the city is hosting the largest free cultural festival ever held in Australia.

Festival Melbourne 2005 will be 11-days of non-stop music, dance, circus, street theatre and visual arts from across the Commonwealth.

No sooner will the Commonwealth Games have finished, when the razzmatazz of Formula 1 is due in town for the Australian Grand Prix between March 30th and April 2nd.

For horse racing fans, the Spring Racing Carnival takes place later in the year – providing 50 days of horseracing starting at the end of September and continuing to mid-November.

Other sporting and cultural events include the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, and the UCI Women's World Cup in cycling.

And for cricket fans, the year is rounded off with the 4th Ashes test between England and Australia on December 26th to 30th.

"Whether you’re a tennis enthusiast, a yachtie, a ‘petrol head’, a fashionista, a food and wine lover, an amateur cyclist, art enthusiast or a racing fan, from January to December this year, Melbourne is the place to experience the best events in the world," said Victoria's tourism minister John Pandazopoulos.

He added: "This is why Victoria has the well-earned reputation as the events capital of Australia, and for 2006 at least, the events capital of the world."

For more information on events in Melbourne, see: www.visitvictoria.com/ XXX