The biggest footy game of the year is almost here – the 2018 AFL Grand Final. 

To ensure the safety of supporters heading to the game, or celebrating at venues throughout Yarra, a number of road closures and restrictions will be in place. 

Road closures 

From 6am on Saturday 29 September, Swan Street will be a clearway zone for parking. From 4.30pm, Swan Street will be closed to all vehicles and trams between Punt Road and Church Street. Swan Street will reopen at 7am Sunday 30 September.

Stewart Street will also be closed from 4am Saturday 29 September until 7am Sunday 30 September.

During this time, Route 70 trams will divert via Bridge Road along Route 75, between Stop 6 Russell Street and Stop 29 Riversdale Junction.  

Parking 

Car parking will be extremely limited over the grand final weekend

• There will be no general car parking available at the MCG or Yarra Park. 
• There is no parking at Punt Road Oval. 
• On-street parking in Richmond will be limited. Our parking officers will be enforcing parking restrictions as usual, so don’t take the risk.

For the duration of the street closure, no parking will be permitted on: 

• Swan Street: between Hoddle and Church streets.
• Lennox Street: between Swan Street and the end of the restricted parking zone.

Residential parking permit bays will remain available to residents.

However, there are plenty of public transport options and extra train and tram services. To plan your journey, visit the Public Transport Victoria website. 

Public safety 

Venues along Swan Street are ticketed, so make sure you prepare for your celebrations in advance. 

Drinking alcohol in unlicensed areas on the streets of Yarra is not permitted at any time. This rule also applies to the Swan Street road closure. We also urge people to leave glass at home. 

Getting around

With a huge crowd expected at the MCG and surrounding areas, we recommend planning ahead and using public transport. 

Trains

Metro Trains will be running extra services before and after the game. There are two train stations close to the MCG:

• Jolimont station: connecting to the Hurstbridge and South Morang lines.
• Richmond station: connecting to the Alamein, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham and Sandringham lines. 

Trams

The free tram zone has been extended to include the tram stops close to the MCG, until the last service Saturday 29 September 2018.

Remember – Route 70 trams will divert via Bridge Road along Route 75, between Stop 6 Russell Street and Stop 29 Riversdale Junction.  

Buses

Route 246 runs from LaTrobe University, Bundoora to Elsternwick Station and stops on Punt Road near Olympic Boulevard. 

Ride sharing

The rideshare pick up point on Docker Street will remain open if you are using a ridesharing service (Uber, Ola, DiDi, Taxify etc) to get to the game.  

Watching the game

There are a number of live sites where the game will play on the big screen, including:

• AFL Grand Final Live Site at Yarra Park
• AFL Grand Final Live at Fed Square
• Holden Centre Grand Final live site