Inman Down Under: 49ers’ Melbourne takeover begins, including ‘Purdy Dozen’ doughnuts

MELBOURNE, Australia — George Kittle, Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa are artfully depicted on a mural outside the Queen Victoria Market.

Christian McCaffrey’s mean mug adorns a promotional poster inside the Harp & Hound pub.

Images of 49ers legends Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Bryant Young and Patrick Willis cover the windows of the Transport Public Bar, this week’s adopted home for the 49ers Faithful.

And, as proof that such fans are already here, one was seen wearing a 49ers jacket sitting on a bench outside the NFL’s pop-up store in Melbourne’s CBD (Central Business District).

Everywhere you look in this historic yet thriving metropolis, the 49ers are represented better than the designated “home” team, that being the Los Angeles Rams, ahead of their season-opening clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday at 10:35 a.m. local (Thursday, 5:35 p.m. PT).

That was my big takeaway Saturday morning as I meandered 8 miles to shake off my legs’ jet lag from a 25-hour journey here.

The 49ers, with the NFL’s blessing, blocked media access to Saturday’s walk-through practice at AAMI Park, just across the train tracks from the historic MCG and about a mile from the team’s downtown hotel.

So, aside from writing, I got my first chance to explore the so-called Sporting Capital of the World. Some quick notes:

— Melbourne’s most popular sports, according to my new barber Tim at Hardware Lane Barbers, are AFL (Australian Football League), cricket, NRL (National Rugby League), tennis (Australian Open), NBA, then NFL and English Premier League soccer.

— The NFL pop-up shop, at the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth, lures shoppers in with a picture of fans wearing a Joe Montana 49ers jersey and a Rams’ No. 36 jersey, presumably that of Jerome Bettis. The 49ers’ jerseys for sale by the door: Purdy, Bosa, McCaffrey.

— Kittle’s No. 85 jersey is depicted in supersized fashion on a wall next to the Duke of Wellington pub. Above his numbers is “The Duke,” which also is the NFL’s official game ball, named after former New York Giants owner Wellington “Duke” Mara.

— Now that the MCG hosted an AFL playoff game Friday night, preparations ramp up for the NFL’s grand reveal Friday morning. That includes building a pop-up pub, sponsored by Carlton Draught, which I later sampled and rated as an acceptable Australian-brewed lager.

— Not far from the MCG, at Federation Square is the 49ers’ bar takeover at Transport Public Bar. Aside from the earlier-mentioned 49ers legends on the bar’s exterior, so are images of Purdy handing the ball off to McCaffrey, and Warner hoisting his arms up in celebration. One more greeting on the window: “G’Day Faithful.”

— The 49ers have also taken over the American Dougnut Kitchen bus where patrons line up outside Queen Victoria Market. In the bus’ front window is a 49ers jersey name-tagged MELBOURNE (#49). For $25, the “Purdy Dozen Box” offers 13 doughnuts, “a combination of jam and vanilla custard rolled in sugar with gold rush dust.” That is more appetizing than inside the market, where kangaroo filets are going for $24.99.