The Commonwealth Games in Australia

The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games marked the fifth time an Australian city hosted the Games, following Sydney in 1938; Perth in 1962; Brisbane in 1982; and Melbourne in 2006

Official souvenir programme for 1938 British Empire Games (1938)Australian Sports Museum

Sydney 1938

Originally known as the British Empire Games, the Commonwealth Games were first hosted by Australia in 1938 - the greatest sporting spectacle Australia had then seen.

Photograph, 1938 British Empire Games (1938)Australian Sports Museum

Held as Sydney commemorated the 150th anniversary of European arrival in Australia, competitors from 15 countries helped make the Games one of the largest international events held in the country to that time.

A crowd of 40,000 turned out to see the opening ceremony. A total 464 athletes competed in seven sports: athletics, boxing, cycling, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving and wrestling.

Photograph of Australian team, British Empire Games 1938 (1938)Australian Sports Museum

The Australian team topped the medal tally, winning 25 gold, 19 silver, and 22 bronze. Decima Norman starred for Australia on the athletics track, winning the nation's first Gold medal for the 1938 Games in the 100-yard sprint, before adding four more Gold medals to her tally.

Commemorative medal, British Empire Games 1938 Commemorative medal, British Empire Games 1938 (1938)Australian Sports Museum

Boxer Les Harley won bronze in the heavyweight division and received this commemorative medal for his participation in the Games.

Silk scarf, VIIth British Empire and Commonwealth Games, Perth, 1962 (1962)Australian Sports Museum

Perth 1962

In 1962 one of the world's most isolated capital cities – Perth in Western Australia – became the centre of the sporting world.

Silk scarf, VIIth British Empire and Commonwealth Games, Perth, 1962 (1962)Australian Sports Museum

The 1962 Games were seen as an opportunity to showcase the best of Western Australia. Thousands of people volunteered to ensure the Games were a success and the community donated the more than £400,000 required to stage the event.

Report, "The VIIth British Empire and Commonwealth Games: A pictorial record, public relations committee for the organising council, Perth, 1962" (1962)Australian Sports Museum

The Games were opened by the Duke of Edinburgh on the hottest Perth day in 49 years, with the temperature reaching 40°C (103.9°F). Despite the conditions, the opening ceremony was attended by 50,000 people, equivalent to approximately ten per cent of the population of Perth at the time.

Commemorative medal, 1962 VII British Empire & Commonwealth Games (1962)Australian Sports Museum

The Australian team excelled once again on their home turf, winning 38 gold, 36 silver and 31 bronze.

The competitors, including Australian swimmer Les Phillips, were presented with these commemorative bronze medals in recognition of competing at the Games.

1962 British Empire & Commonwealth Games Gold medal, won by Kevin Berry in the 110yd ButterflyAustralian Sports Museum

Kevin Berry was a triple-Gold medallist swimmer at the Games, winning the medal shown here in the 110yd butterfly final, where he broke his own World Record. He took a second Gold in the 220yd final and won his third Gold medal in the 4x110yd medley relay.

Australian team blazer for 1962 British Empire & Commonwealth Games, worn by Betty Cuthbert (1962)Australian Sports Museum

Betty Cuthbert, known as Australia’s “Golden Girl” came out of retirement to compete at the 1962 Games. She had left the sport after sustaining an injury at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome which impacted her performance, and she was eliminated in the heats of the 100m in that competition.

1962 British Empire & Commonwealth Games Women's 4x100 yards Gold Medal, won by Betty Cuthbert 1962 British Empire & Commonwealth Games Women's 4x100 yards Gold Medal, won by Betty Cuthbert (1962)Australian Sports Museum

Cuthbert’s 1962 return to the track resulted in a dramatic team triumph. It came in the 4 x 110yd women’s final, with teammates Joyce Bennett, Glenys Beasley, and Brenda Cox.

Cuthbert’s run in the final leg to pass England’s Betty Moore just before the finish line secured gold for the team.

Programme, 1982 Commonwealth Games (1982)Australian Sports Museum

Brisbane 1982

Forty-eight Commonwealth countries competed and more than 2000 athletes and officials took part in the biggest games yet.

Matilda the mascot, promotional poster for the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games (1982)Australian Sports Museum

An enduring image from the opening ceremony was the 13-metre-tall Games mascot, Matilda the Kangaroo, winking at the crowd as it completed a circuit of the stadium.

Official's jacket, 1982 Commonwealth Games (1982)Australian Sports Museum

Australia narrowly topped the medal tally with 39 gold to England's 38. The Games made household names of athletes like Debbie Flintoff-King who won gold in the 400m hurdles and silver in the 4 x 400m relay, and would go on to win the 400m hurdles final at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

Sneakers worn by Raelene Boyle (1982)Australian Sports Museum

In her final major athletics appearance, Raelene Boyle took gold in the 400-metre sprint final and silver in the 4 × 400-metre relay.

Programme, 1982 Commonwealth Games (1982)Australian Sports Museum

The spirit and crowd enthusiasm of the Games were on display on the second last day of competition when Robert de Castella won the marathon, after a fierce contest against Tanzanian Juma Ikangaa.

Thousands lined the race route, spilling onto the road in the closing stages, enthusiastically willing "Deeks" to victory.

Australian Broadcasting Commission and Matilda the mascot, promotional poster for the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games (1982)Australian Sports Museum

Television audiences for the Games were huge domestically, with the government-owned ABC network topping the broadcast ratings during the period for the first time in its history.

Lapel Pin - official logo for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games (2006)Australian Sports Museum

Melbourne 2006

The 2006 Commonwealth Games were the largest sporting event ever held in sports-mad Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Olympics.

Banners - 'Melbourne 2006', 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne (2006)Australian Sports Museum

Melbourne hosted 5766 athletes and team officials from the 71 participating countries in the biggest sporting event held in the city.

Athletes competed in 245 events across 17 different team and individual sports. Australia topped the medal tally with 84 gold, 69 silver and 69 bronze.

Commonwealth Games Queen's Relay baton presented to Sports Minister Justin Madden, Melbourne, 2006 (2006)Australian Sports Museum

This replica Queen’s Relay Baton was presented to Victorian Minister for the Commonwealth Games, Justin Madden, in recognition of his support for the event.

For the first time since the tradition began at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games the Queen's Baton visited every country and territory taking part in the event, a journey of over 180,000kms.

The baton was carried on its final leg by then Governor of Victoria and former Olympian, John Landy, who presented it to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during the opening ceremony at the MCG.

Section of athletic track used for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games at MCG (2006)Australian Sports Museum

Australia won 16 gold medals in the athletics, including in the Women's Marathon where Kerryn McCann successfully defended the title she won in Manchester in 2002. The race was hard fought between her and Kenyan, Hellen Cherono Koskei, with the leader changing six times in the final 2km. Cherono held a slight lead as they entered the MCG for the final lap. McCann later said she was flagging as they approached the finish, but as the two competitors ran onto the athletics track installed at the MCG specifically for the Games, the surge of noise from the 76,000-strong crowd lifted her to victory.

Athletic outfit and competitor's number worn by Kerryn McCann, 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games (2006)Australian Sports Museum

McCann later told reporters, "That wasn't me running the last 300. If the people weren't out there, I wouldn't have won a gold medal today."

McCann’s victory was one of the enduring moments from the Games, made all the more important to the Australian public when she sadly passed away from cancer only 18 months after the win.

In 2015, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame declared her stirring victory at MCG one of its Great Sporting Moments.

Competitor's medallion issued to Elsie May Jones, IIIrd British Empire Games, 1938 (1938)Australian Sports Museum

Each instance of Australia hosting the Commonwealth Games has been a celebration of community and culture as much as a contest of sport. Hosting the Games has transformed cities, leaving powerful memories for the thousands of people who attended as spectators, volunteers, competitors and officials.

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