Update: 6:05PM MELBOURNE: SPORT-lovers from around the world took the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) Queen’s Baton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for its first major public appearance in Australia today.

Before the start of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG Outfield fan zone, people both young and old engaged with the Queen’s Baton, learning about where it had been and where it will travel to next.

For many, this was just an exciting taste of what is to come as the Queen’s Baton will return to their communities between January and April when it makes its way around Australia in the hands of approximately 3800 batonbearers.

A statement from the Queen’s Baton Relay media team stated that selfies were the call of the day today because not only Victorians but also people from around Australia and the world had a chance to hold the specially-designed Queen’s Baton.

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation chairperson Peter Beattie AC said being with people at the Boxing Day Test was a fitting way to mark the start of the Queen’s Baton Relay in Australia.

“We’re thrilled to share the Queen’s Baton with so many people at one of the most popular sports days of the year at the Melbourne Cricket Ground,” Mr Beattie was quoted saying in the statement. 

“The Boxing Day Test is on the bucket list of many Australians, and I can’t think of a better place or day to celebrate the start of the Queen’s Baton Relay in Australia for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

“The genuine enthusiasm for the Queen’s Baton is an encouraging sign that with 99 days to go until the Games’ opening ceremony on April 4, Australians are excited for what’s going to be the biggest event in the country in a decade.”

During the school holidays, the Queen’s Baton is engaging with thousands of Australians at popular summertime events, iconic locations and children?s hospitals around the country.

The next stop for the Queen’s Baton is the Taste of Tasmania on December 28, 2017.

On January 25, 2018, the Queen’s Baton Relay will shift gears to a traditional relay starting in Canberra.

The Queen’s Baton landed in Australia on Christmas Eve.

It has been passed between thousands of people for 288 days across Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania, building up excitement for the GC2018.

In Australia, the Queen’s Baton will traverse 40,000km, travelling through every state and territory for 100 days.