W.A.C.A. Ground
As an association the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) was established in November 1885 whilst the grounds were officially opened in 1893. William Henry Wise, a gardener who came to WA from England in 1880, laid the first turf wicket at the WACA. Wise was personal gardener to Sir George Shenton, of Crawley. In addition to his work at the WACA Ground, he laid the first tennis court on the Perth Esplanade.
The first match was played on the turf wickets in February 1894. This year sees the 60th anniversary of the scoreboard at the WACA Ground. On February 24, 1954, the Memorial Scoreboard was dedicated to cricketers from Western Australia who gave their lives to the cause of freedom in World Wars I and II.
The WACA has been Western Australia's home of cricket since the early 1890s, with Test cricket played at the ground since the 1970 71 season. The ground is the home venue of Western Australia's first-class cricket team, the Western Warriors, and a Women's National Cricket League side, the Western Fury. The Perth Scorchers, a Big Bash League franchise, also play at the ground, which is branded #TheFurnace for those matches.
The pitch at the WACA is regarded as one of the quickest and bounciest in the world. These characteristics, in combination with the afternoon sea-breezes which regularly pass the ground (the Fremantle Doctor), have historically made the ground an attractive place for pace and swing bowlers. The outfield is exceptionally fast, contributing to the ground seeing some very fast scoring as of February 2016, four of the nine fastest Test centuries have been scored at the WACA.
Scoreboard in 2015
Throughout its history, the ground has also been used for a range of other sports, including athletics carnivals, Australian rules football, baseball, soccer, rugby league, rugby union, and international rules football. However, recent years have seen most of these activities relocated to other venues. It has also been used for major rock concerts.
In September 2013 Cricket Australia announced that the WACA ground would not host a Test match in the shortened 2014/15 season to accommodate the 2015 Cricket World Cup, a decision which left Perth without a summer test match for the first time in nearly 40 years. Cricket Australia said the WACA Ground required significant improvements, given it has the smallest capacity of the five mainland capital city venues.
From the 2018/19 summer, the WACA Ground will cease to serve as the primary international cricket venue in Perth. The new 60,000 seat stadium being constructed in Burswood will host limited overs internationals, Test matches against high-drawing opponents (England, India and South Africa), and domestic Big Bash League (BBL) matches for Perth Scorchers. The WACA Ground will continue to host Tests against lower-drawing opponents, Sheffield Shield matches, and will be redeveloped into the state's leading cricket training facility.
Visitors are invited to come to the Museum for ground tours. The tours and museum both explain and display the history of this famous cricket ground. Merchandise is available from the Museum shop. A gold coin donation is suggested for entry to the Museum. Ground tours are held Monday to Friday 10am & 1pm. Tour fees apply. WACA Members & accompanying guests: Free (Membership card required). Tours are not available on match days, public holidays and weekends. A Ground Tour and Museum visit will take approximately two hours.
Open Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm. The Museum is not open on weekends or public holidays. The Museum is open to visitors attending matches at the WACA.
Location: Gate 2, Nelson Crescent, East Perth. Ph (08) 9265 7318.
