Bellerive Oval (officially known as Blundstone Arena following a naming rights deal in October 2011) is the home of Tasmanian cricket and is nestled on the eastern shores of the Derwent River opposite Hobart's CBD. Opened in 1914, the venue didn't replace the TCA as Hobart's first class cricket headquarters until the 1987/88 season. Bellerive received a significant upgrade which was completed in early 2003 and included the construction of a new 6,000-seat Southern Grandstand, two TCA members buildings, indoor cricket nets and other improvements. A ground record of 16,719 witnessed the first game at the newly renovated ground for a one day international between Australia and England. New floodlights suitable for night international cricket were completed in late 2009.
The dimension to the oval are similar to those of the MCG, but has slightly shorter square boundaries. Curator Peter Apps tends to prepare pitches which yield quite a few runs but has slowly changed the character of the wicket square so that games are now featuring a more even struggle between bat and ball. Pitches at the ground often prove slow in pace early and then gradually flatten out. Due to the Oval's location, playing conditions are often affected by Hobart's afternoon sea breezes. As well as Cricket, Bellerive Oval also plays host to Australian Football with local matches and from 2012, North Melbourne will play a couple of AFL premiership season games per year at the venue.
There are plans to boost the capacity of Bellerive to 20,000 with the extension of the Southern Grandstand. Work is due to be completed by 2015.
|
Location: |
Hobart, Tasmania |
Address: |
Derwent St, Bellerive 7018. Tel: (03) 6282 0400 |
|
Capacity: |
16,000 |
Seats: |
|
|
Record Crowd: |
16,719 - 11/1/2003
VB Series: Aus v Eng |
Highest Crowd since 1/1/2003: |
16,719 - 14/01/03: ODI: Australia v England
|
|
Lights: |
Yes |
Arena Roof: |
No |
|
Video Screen: |
Yes |
Arena Dimensions: |
|
|
Built: |
1914 |
Redeveloped: |
2003 |
|
Former/Other Names: |
Bellerive Oval |
Ticketing: |
Ticketmaster |
|
Sports Played: |
Cricket
Australian Football |
Home Teams: |
Tasmanian Tigers
Hobart Hurricanes (T20)
North Melbourne (AFL) |
|
Annual Events: |
|
Historic Events: |
|
|
Last Event: |
04/05/13: AFL: North Melbourne v Port Adelaide
|
Next Event: |
|
|
Directions: |
Transport: |
|
Access is available across Tasman Bridge, turn right at Cambridge rd, Hobart. Left into Clarence St, right into Derwent St. |
Metro buses are available to and from Bellerive Oval. Ferry Services from City to Bellerive Wharf. (4 minutes walk) |
|
Parking: |
Accommodation: |
|
Parking is available at the South Street carpark, then a shuttle bus is taken to the ground from Alexandra Street. (next to beach) |
CLICK HERE to view & book nearby accommodation >>
|
|
|
