Going to Melbourne for round 18 - ticket advice?

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Going on a weekend trip to Melbourne for Round 18. Main motivation is to catch up with some friends who live over there. But also will catch some footy games.

Looking to go as cheaply and as flexibly as possible to the Friday/Saturday/Sunday games - any advice on how to best organise tickets? Buy in advance? Rock up on the day? There's really only two big games - Bulldogs/Saints on the Friday and both have low supporter bases, and Blues/Cats on the Saturday which would be a higher attendance but not packed to the brim I suspect. The remaining games are North/Richmond, Hawthorn/Eagles, Essendon/Gold Coast and surely they'd paid me to go watch them?

Anyways, advice appreciated for the experts out there.

 

[WCE_phil]

Going on a weekend trip to Melbourne for Round 18. Main motivation is to catch up with some friends who live over there. But also will catch some footy games.

Looking to go as cheaply and as flexibly as possible to the Friday/Saturday/Sunday games - any advice on how to best organise tickets? Buy in advance? Rock up on the day? There's really only two big games - Bulldogs/Saints on the Friday and both have low supporter bases, and Blues/Cats on the Saturday which would be a higher attendance but not packed to the brim I suspect. The remaining games are North/Richmond, Hawthorn/Eagles, Essendon/Gold Coast and surely they'd paid me to go watch them?

Anyways, advice appreciated for the experts out there.

Blues/Cats could likely be a sell out depending on form.
Saints,Dogs could also very well be a sell out, particularly if both are fighting for top 8 and it's at Marvel (almost certainty)

Any others you can just rock up to and you'll get a great seat at a great price. Just remember the G and Marvel aren't the same level of quality/experience as Optus. Marvel can be amazing if packed and the roof is closed though. The MCG really needs 80k there before you get that same sort of feeling and with such a huge% of the ground being AFL members and MCC members it really depends on how many of those show up.

In comparison to games over here if you're used to paying for our games pay the extra for the good seats at Marvel and the G. It'll still be cheaper than watching an eagles game here in WA.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Apart from Anzac day & finals games, I don't think any games truly sell out. Can just walk up and buy tickets on the day.

 

[WCE_phil]

Apart from Anzac day & finals games, I don't think any games truly sell out. Can just walk up and buy tickets on the day.

This is true it's just more if you want good seats. The two games I mentioned however rocking up just before the game could see you in s**t seats.

 

[Seadog]

There's a great Picasso exhibition on in Melbourne, tickets to that might be better value for money.

 

[ziad]

This is true it's just more if you want good seats. The two games I mentioned however rocking up just before the game could see you in s**t seats.

The G has crap seats, almost any seat at the other (Optus?/Eteihad? etc) are good.

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'm getting in free for the Hawks/Eagles game, my cousin is a Hawks member. Reckons you can just sit wherever once you are in, but maybe that has changed post-COVID?

I'm used to s**t seats, saw plenty of games at Subi.

 

[joeyavalanche]

Eagles fan living in Melbourne.
One of the perks is just rocking up on the day and buying a ticket. Other than the Carlton/Cats game I wouldn’t bother booking in advance.
They’ll give you a few ticket options at the booth, but just buy basic general admin and usually get to just pick a seat in the designated tier


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

More advice as this is fast approaching.

I'm looking to possibly head to Ballarat to see a friend. What's the best options for travel via PT?

Also want to head to Geelong to go to Popcultcha which is a store I often buy online from. Travel advice?

 

[ukurrie]

The G has great seats (disregard the comment above) as long as you don't just rock up on the day to a big game. You will (pretty much) always get a ticket to the G on the day but if you go to a big game you might end up at the top, which is too far away, or at the fence, which is too close and low.

Try to book Level 2, wing, in front of the corporate boxes. Or Level 2A and you will be fine.

Marvel and Optus might have a higher % of 'good' seats but that's because they are much, much smaller, have a smaller playing field and are not 170 years old.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

More advice as this is fast approaching.

I'm looking to possibly head to Ballarat to see a friend. What's the best options for travel via PT?

Also want to head to Geelong to go to Popcultcha which is a store I often buy online from. Travel advice?

V-line trains.
Southern Cross station is your starting point, the other city train stations don't run the regional trains.

 

[ukurrie]

More advice as this is fast approaching.

I'm looking to possibly head to Ballarat to see a friend. What's the best options for travel via PT?

Also want to head to Geelong to go to Popcultcha which is a store I often buy online from. Travel advice?

Depending on your sequencing, you might be better off hiring a car. If you’re going to Geelong, it would be easier to go straight from there to Ballarat rather than back to Melbourne.

Also, if you think Melbourne is cold, Ballarat is always 2 or 3 degrees cooler!

If you want some scenery, go to Trentham, Daylesford or anywhere in the Macedon Ranges region. It’s between Ballarat and Melbourne.

 

[junebug]

Lived in Melb for 15 years. Agree with joeyavalanche above about buying tickets. Docklands I always go GA and the view has never been a problem, no matter where you sit. Agree with comments about the better seats at the G too, but also worth being aware of what's undercover in case of rain if that matters to you. If you buy GA, you can feel free to move seats out of the rain. Have sat in the top tier a few times and while it's not great, it's no the end of the world either. (notably 3 rows from the back during the Saints/Collingwood GF replay behind the goals - the view was acceptable even if the bloody Pies won)

From your posts, I'm guessing you've never been to Melbs before. You'll need a Myki for public transport, which you can buy at 7/11s, attended train stations and some newsagents, that sort of thing. If you take the Skybus into town, you'll wash up near Southern Cross and can get one there, if not at the airport. Make sure you put enough money on it when you start because topping up is a PITA. If you are staying in the city, don't forget the free tram zone, which is super handy, but also keep in mind where it stops. On a tram you only need to touch on your Myki, but don't do it if you are sticking in the free tram zone. On trains and buses, you must touch on and touch off as you exit. Ballarat is cold, but usually less cloudy than Melbourne, so it can be more pleasant even though it's colder. You can use the PTV website to plan your travel, but honestly Google maps will get you where you want to go, tell you how many stops to ride etc. V-line trains to the West and South-west leave from Southern Cross (Spencer St) station.

There's a few cool touristy things on at the moment, something to do with Van Gogh at ACMI or the NGV and also a light show in (I think) the Botanical Gardens. And the NGV is always worth a visit. Also don't ignore the theatre district and all the awesome food options in Melbourne. Head to Chinatown for high quality, cheap Asian food of all flavours. These days, it's spilled over from its traditional area, all the way to Melbourne Central and along Swanston St as well as its traditional areas along Little Bourke St. If you like gin or cocktails check out Little Lon - it's a little hard to find, but worth it for the history of the place alone. I'd make more recs, but left during covid and not 100% sure about what's survived. A quick trip on the No 11 tram up Brunswick St will lead to bars, pubs and restaurants as well if you want to get out of the city. If you like cheese, check out Milk The Cow for a tasting flight with wine, cider or sparklings to go with.

TL;DR: there's more to Melbourne than footy and you should at least see some of it. Get your mates to come up to town so you can do something together.

 

[DanWCE]

TL;DR: there's more to Melbourne than footy and you should at least see some of it. Get your mates to come up to town so you can do something together.

Correct. There is craft beer.

 

[ukurrie]

My view from the last row at the top of the Olympic stand at some game in late September 2018. Photos are deceptive and make it look further than it is. No issues seeing what is happening and great to see the setup of both teams.

And a photo of miserable Pies fans just because.

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Apparently there is major train network works going on which makes them less of an option.

To be honest, I'm not an experience the culture kind of guy. I want to see friends, and I like collecting action figures. Pop culture stores are my bag, so steer me to those.

Not interested in beer/drinking.

 

[junebug]

Well then you might want to check out Minotaur Minotaur Entertainment Online

And I still recommend ACMI, if this interests you The Story of the Moving Image | FREE exhibition, Open daily