Head to Melbourne for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, a celebration of friendship and goodwill for all participants, on and off the track. From 15-26 March 2006 a record 4500 elite athletes from 71 nations will take centre stage, accompanied by the largest and most vibrant cultural festival ever held in Australia.

Be part of it
If you're planning to travel to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games, official travel agents have been appointed around the world to help you plan your Games holiday experience in Australia, with travel and accommodation packages as well as the top Games tickets available.

Find out more about Games travel and accommodation packages and your country's appointed agents for the best tickets.

If you're already travelling to Melbourne in March 2006, make sure you don't miss out on all the Games action – tickets are available now. You can either have your tickets sent directly to you, or if you prefer you can pick them up from Federation Square when you arrive in Melbourne in March. Get your tickets now.

The home of sport

The centrepiece for the Games will be the magnificent, internationally-renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Athletics will be held and the Marathon will start and finish. The MCG is one of the world’s largest and most outstanding outdoor sporting grounds, with a long history of hosting track and field competition, most famously the 1956 Olympic Games.

See all the action of your favourite sport or something new – 24 disciplines in 16 sports (12 individual and 4 team sports) will be contested including Aquatics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Basketball, Shooting and Triathlon.

The main ‘Games Precinct’ will include the MCG and its surrounding venues, including Melbourne Park and Olympic Park, as well as Telstra Dome, and will merge with Melbourne’s arts and cultural precinct through the Birrarung Marr Gardens that stretches along the Yarra River to Federation Square, the new heart of the city and a Commonwealth Games live site.

Festival Melbourne 2006
Throughout the Games, Melbourne will be alive with a free cultural festival, celebrating the diverse contemporary cultures of the Commonwealth. Soak up the non-stop music, dance, exhibitions, street theatre and circus from every region of the Commonwealth in the city's superb parks, gardens and galleries.

Getting around is easy
Visitors attending the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games will find getting to venues quick and easy, with 14 sports contested at venues within three kilometres of Melbourne’s CBD, and all events easily accessible by public transport. Melbourne’s metropolitan public transport system that uses Metcard is free to Games ticket holders, and a wheelchair-accessible shuttle service will also be available to help people with limited mobility to reach Games venues.

There has never been a better time to visit friends and family in Australia, explore the many faces of Melbourne and experience the international sporting action of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.