Durban tent city home for Australian soccer fans

By David Clarke

DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - Australians have finally taken charge at Durban's Kingsmead stadium, 40 years after their cricket team were humiliated by South Africa.

The clipped turf is now home to 1,200 Australian soccer fans housed in neat rows of green tents with a vast beer tent ensuring a World Cup party atmosphere.

Australia play their first game in Durban against Germany on July 13 and the fans will be able to stroll from the downtown Kingsmead ground to the nearby Moses Madhiba soccer stadium.

The campers have paid anywhere from 4,500 Australian dollars ($3,775) to 6,000 Australian dollars for their South African soccer odyssey.

The packages include match tickets, transport to games, a bed in three-man tents and full English breakfast -- but not the beer, which is quietly chilling in a wall of 15 fridges.

Organized by tour and events operator Fanatics HQ, the camp is building on the success of a similar Australian venture at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where the Socceroos surprised many by getting to the second round.

SLIM PICKINGS

Fanatics HQ say they are flying in Fatboy Slim and popular Australian bands Powderfinger and Electric Mary to entertain the revelers -- but they are keeping a tight rein on drinking and smoking on the pitch.

"We're trying to respect the field as much as we can because it is an international cricket ground," said Ryan Everett, or Spider, who is one of the organizers.

Still, each tent has a fire extinguisher and a fire bucket just in case, and empty beer tins were nestling in a rubbish bin in one.

Security is tight. Residents can only get in and out by placing their fingers on biometric scanning machines.

Spider said the organizers have briefed residents on security outside the stadium and are encouraging people to do the "smart thing" -- take taxis at night and not lug lots of valuables around.

But with word spreading in Durban about the Australian tent city, the Kingsmead residents say they are greeted more with car horn beeps and friendly shouts of "Ozzies" when they wander around in their shorts, flip-flops and yellow soccer shirts.

"I haven't felt threatened," said Jarrad Haynes, 24, from Adelaide. "I have felt very comfortable walking around the streets of Durban."

(Editing by Ossian Shine)