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Australia's iconic sports stadium to build skywalk, zip-line ride

Xinhua, February 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

Australia's most iconic stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), will build a skywalk allowing tourists a panoramic view of the venue and surrounding city from 70 meters above ground.

The project, announced on Thursday by the Victorian government, will cost an estimated 1.8 million U.S. dollars and also encompasses the potential installation of a zip line across the MCG's roof, shooting thrill-seekers across the ground - from scoreboard to scoreboard - in seconds.

Already one of Australia's most popular tourist's attractions, the MCG is expected to pull in thousands more people during its quieter, non-playing periods with the new features.

Construction of the skywalk, which will also give customers a full view of the Melbourne Park sports precinct and entire city, is expected to begin at some stage during 2016 and take around 12 months to complete.

However, the design of the walk above the 100,000 seat stadium is yet to be finalized.

The Victorian government - which last year launched a new tourist campaign, Visit Victoria, will contribute more than 450,000 U.S. dollars to the project.

Victoria's Sports Minister John Eren said the new walk would rival the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, a tourist draw which has attracted more than 3 million people since it opened.

"We've got to show it off and the best way to show it off is the bird's eye view from the top of the MCG," Eren said on Thursday.

"It's a great project. It is very much about showcasing our wonderful precinct and this will go a long way to making sure not only locals enjoy this iconic ground from a different perspective but interstate and overseas visitors."

However, not everyone believes the idea will be a success, with former Australian Football League (AFL) Melbourne Demons great David Schwarz saying the plan was "gimmicky".

"I'm not a fan of it," David Schwarz said on Melbourne radio on Thursday.

"You wouldn't see it at Lord's or Wimbledon, I just think it cheapens it a little bit."

In the past 12 months, the MCG has hosted the cricket's World Cup final, the AFL grand final, rugby league's state of origin and the International Champions Cup (ICC) with guest teams Real Madrid, Manchester City and Roma gracing the hallowed turf. Endit