I’ve been coming to Melbourne for many years for work and like to make a weekend of it if things work out. In all that time, I’ve never ventured to Docklands Stadium for any sort of event, but that changed this weekend. Fortuitously my beloved Sydney Swans were playing North Melbourne in a very friendly afternoon time slot.
A work colleague who barracks for the Kangaroos joined me and before the game we snuck in a couple of quick schooners at the cleverly named Moon Dog Doglands. Line all things Moondog, this place is big with a mezzanine level in addition to the big ground floor. The circular bar dominates and it is exclusively Moondog beer offerings, which is pretty tame at least at this outlet.
Now drinking at Australian sports venues is generally pretty dire. Plastic cups and mid-strengths are generally the go, but Docklands does feature a bar called the View Bar and after watching the first quarter from Level 3, we ventured to the View Bar where we had a great spot behind the goals.
You can perch yourself on a barstool and enjoy a couple of schooners in glasses with a terrific view. The Asahi Empire dominates the venue with Pirate Life, 4 Pines and Carlton Dry 3.5 having dedicated bars to those labels.
The footy was good. It is a wierd feeling watching the game indoors. The way they darken the venue from time to time threw me off knowing it was 1.30pm outside. 53,000 is capacity, but the Kangas will never draw that. General Admission is the way to go and you can just stroll around the ground to experiment with different vantage points.
It was all very civil at the end. Swans were relieved for the win and the Kangas were happy that they continue to improve.
back of the ferry 