It bothers me that homebush is so inaccessable.
I was down in sydney last year or the year before and I took a tour of the stadium during the stay.
Going from Miranda Fair it took some 1 and a half hours. Maybe 2.
Ok, so Cronulla is near the coast and the stadium out west. But thats not the point.
Right now I should make a comparison. The major stadium in Brisbane is Lang Park. To get to Lang Park from the furtherest point in Brisbane it takes around 40 mins by train. You change trains once at worse. However, at the best, it takes under 20 mins from major population centers in the mid-ring of the city - and you don't need to change trains. Getting access to the best is easy enough and is not off-putting. So the majority of the population can get to LP in under 30 mins, most do it in under 20 and its not a hassle. Milton station is very close by LP and the walk is pleasant.
Back to homebush. The journey was so complex I am confused in near-entirety. I remember changing at Redfern then going out to a western train station and having to change there. I was overjoyed yet taxed when I finally got to the homebush Bay area. Then shattered as I learnt I had to get on a "shuttle" train to get to the stadium proper. I was furious when I discovered that we forced international visitors to walk many hundreds of meters in the middle of no where to stand on a platform and wait to yet another train to get to the stadium. I understand however, during peak times at the Olympics a platform this length was required. And may even be the case for big games at the stadium. But all in all, it was too much. Then from the final station which was very nice, it was yet another gargantuan walk to the stadium.
I am a fit person, but this was annoying.
The whole process of getting to this stadium was ridiculous. My wife travels to sydney and Melbourne all the time, and sometimes attends events at the stadiums, and indeed she has been to sydney often and knows about its transport system more so than I...and she was horrified that I was to put her through this journey. Even with the gold nugget of a stadium tour at the end. Because I am a hot guy, she ofcourse relented - but the pain I put her through to this day, I believe is still there. I have less street cred when it comes to exploring.
In any case, you wonder why you got a poor crowd, maybe you should consider 2 people who rarely take the journey to the stadium. Given the distance we needed to travel, we wished for a faster way.
You want people going to the stadium more? Make it easier to get to.
Perhaps after sydney's public transport system is revamped it will be easier. As I understand it, Sydney's public transport system is one of the most complex in the world. I think this is due from memory to the distances between population centers and the fact that the city also has 4 population hotspots along the bay area, separated by water, bridge, bays, etc. Where else in the world do you get that? Not only that, but the system of train tracks is now far inefficient and the whole system is under financed and bloated.
2 hours to go from Miranda fair to Homebush, even 2.5 hours, is ridiculous.
Thats your poor crowd. And poor view maybe once there? I think it was great for the Olympics but just inadequate for afterwards. Scaled too big.
