The Aussies proudly brought home 46 medals from Beijing. Now that our Olympians have returned, let's uncover some of the stories behind Australia's greatest sporting heroes.
Fortunately, there are attractions all around the country that explore the true greats, from Phar Lap to Ian Thorpe:
Cathy Freeman
Cathy's finest hour came in 2000 when she won the 400m sprint at the
Sydney Olympics. It's possible to follow in the golden girl's footsteps on a tour of the
ANZ stadium in Homebush, where you can also learn about other athletes who have had magic moments there. The tours run four times a day and cost $27.50.
Find out more:
- ANZ Stadium Tour
Ian Thorpe
Australia's other great Olympian from 2000 was giant-footed freak boy Ian Thorpe. The Sydneysider hauled in medal after medal at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre and the venue provided a happy hunting ground for him throughout his career. In total, he smashed seven individual and three relay world records in the main competition pool.
The Olympic Park Aquatic Centre is still used for competitions today, but it is open to the public at other times. So it's possible for even the feeblest Sunday afternoon splasher to follow the Thorpedo's trail — albeit a bit more slowly and maybe doing doggy paddle.
The other stop on the Thorpe trail in Sydney is obvious. The Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre near Darling Harbour was opened last year and named in honour of the man some have called the greatest swimmer in history.
Find out more:
Sir Donald Bradman
Unquestionably the greatest Australian batsman of all time (yes, even better than Glenn McGrath), Sir Don has left his sporting mark all over Australia.
The first stop should be Bowral in New South Wales, where Bradman grew up and learned to play. The picturesque ground there is now called the Bradman Oval and is home to the Bradman Museum of Cricket. This contains more than 8000 pieces of cricketing memorabilia.
There's also a statue of Sir Don at the ground, where his ashes were scattered.
From there we move to another scenic ground: the Adelaide Oval. Bradman made his first-class debut and played a lot of his state cricket at the Oval and achieved the highest Test score ever made at this ground — 299 not out in January 1932.
He has a stand named after him there and another statue outside the ground.
From the Oval, head to the State Library of South Australia. It hosts the Bradman Collection, a series of photos, bats, caps and other memorabilia relating to the man with the highest Test average in history.
Find out more:
Phar Lap
Widely considered Australia's greatest ever racehorse (though he was born in New Zealand), Phar Lap won an astonishing 37 of the 51 races he entered. These included the 1930 Melbourne Cup, so the logical place to start a pilgrimage is at the fabled Flemington Racecourse. Melbourne Sports Tours do a sporting venues tour of Melbourne that includes the track, as well as the MCG or Rod Laver Arena.
From there, go to the Melbourne Museum. This is where Phar Lap's stuffed hide can be found, as well as a fascinating exhibition about the wonder horse's life, including the attempts to murder him.
One of the amazing things about Phar Lap was that his heart was almost double the size of a normal racehorse's. And you can see it for yourself, as it has been preserved and placed on display at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
Find out more:
Other sporting heroes
It's possible to pay homage to Rod Laver, Australia's greatest tennis player, at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. There's a statue of him outside and Melbourne Sports Tours operate tours inside.
Rugby League fans can visit a travelling exhibition that is currently doing the rounds, celebrating 100 years of the game and, of course, the all-time star players. League of Legends is at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney from September to November and the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville from December to March.
The exhibition's final stop is the National Sports Museum in Melbourne, where it will run from April to July, 2009.
The National Sports Museum is a great place to discover a wide range of Australian sporting heroes, from AFL footballers and cricketers to comedy speed-skater Steven Bradbury.
Another key spot is the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, where many of the country's sporting champions trained and where visitors are taken on a tour of the facilities by a potential star of tomorrow.
Paid tribute to our sporting legends at any of these sites? Can you think of other Australian sporting pilgrimages? Have your say using the comments form below.
