Sport
we approach the popular Christmas period. Tere are no direct flights to Australia, but all the host venues boast decent accessibility, with flights from a range of UK airports via Asia. Singapore Airlines flies to all five cities from Manchester via its home hub, with Etihad and Emirates offering services via Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Match tickets are currently available for each of the five tests, with prices to suit all budgets. A number of tour operators offer a range of all-inclusive travel packages, which generally run to thousands of pounds and include international and domestic flights, match tickets, accommodation and supplementary entertainment. Te Cricket Travel Office website offers a 53 day package, which incorporates every day of all five tests, from £8,999 per person. Packages for individual tests are in plentiful supply, including a Sydney New Year stay to watch the action in the final test. Vast distances separate each test venue, leaving flying as the only practical option for taking in the series in its entirety. Te 650 miles which separate Melbourne and Sydney represent the shortest distance between two tests, which still amounts to a full days drive. Te action starts in the chic, bustling,
cosmopolitan city of Brisbane, which sits between Australia’s Gold and Sunshine Coasts, before heading to the smaller, yet beautifully formed Edwardian garden city of Adelaide on the south coast. On completion of the second test, one option
for the more adventurous traveller would be to catch the Trans-Australian Railway from Port Augusta, heading west. Tis crosses the barren, arid Nullarbor Plain and includes the world’s longest stretch of dead-straight railway track, amounting to nearly 300 miles. Te line in its entirety is over 1,000 miles long and terminates at Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, linking to Perth via the Transcontinental Railway. Perth, where temperatures can reach 40°C
during the summer months, is the only Ashes destination on Australia’s west coast. Featuring miles of golden, sandy beaches, it is one of Australia’s most beautiful, inviting cities and lies close to some of the country’s most productive wine regions. Melbourne, which hosts the fourth test at the 100,000 capacity MCG, is a great destination for the well-heeled visitor and is Australia’s unrivalled gastronomic capital. Known for its changeable weather, Melbourne offers a more temperate climate than the other venues
but still retains the promise of experiencing Christmas in the sun, be it in trendy St Kilda or at the beach. Sydney, where the series concludes, is home to the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Considered one of the great cities of the world, its legendary New Years celebrations, which precede the fifth test by a couple of days, should not be missed.
Ashes tests in Australia 2013/14
21st – 25th November Te Gabba, Brisbane
5th – 9th December Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
13th – 17th December Te WACA, Perth 26th – 30th December
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne 3rd – 7th January
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
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