The English fans may be out in force, but Australian captain Ricky Ponting expects them to be silenced once the Ashes battle gets under way.
Ponting is confident his team can turn the tables on the rabid Barmy Army, who rejoiced after their spectacular triumph in the last series.
The first Test begins on Thursday at the Gabba on Nine from 10.30am.
"We've heard through the grapevine there could be up to 50,000 English fans coming out for the summer," Ponting says.
"They add a bit to the games, but if we play good cricket then we should manage to keep them reasonably quiet.
"Of any sport around the world, certainly in cricket circles anyway, the Barmy Army are the best supporters.
"They just go along to have a good time and they cheer on their team and there were a lot of them out here in Australia last time the Ashes was played.
"The build-up to this has been so huge that I'm sure the Australian public are going to have a great time."
Much fanfare surrounded the English team's impressive arrival into Sydney, which came before the Australians returned from success at the Champion's Trophy.
Ponting says both teams will be well prepared.
"We weren't even here to notice anything about the precision of their arrival," Ponting says of the English.
"But that doesn't matter. It only matters what you do when the game gets under way. They'll be trying to maximise their preparation to get it right, as will we.
"One of the strengths of our team over the years is that we haven't had those sort of players that dominate.
"We've had really consistent contributions from every player and that's what you need if you're going to win these big series.
"Look at the last series, England probably had more consistent contributions from their playing 11 than we did, so that was the difference. As always happens in every series, someone puts their hand up and generally has a great series and if we can get a few guys doing that then we should be ultra competitive."
Nine commentator and former captain Mark Taylor says he cannot remember a series build-up being so intense.
"I think there's a lot of pressure on both sides going into this series," Taylor says.
"They'll both probably try and play it down. Australia will try to put it back on the Poms, that they are now the holder of the Ashes and the pressure's on them, and to a certain extent it is."
In a boost for Nine's coverage, Ponting will be more forthcoming and accessible, but he will not allow cameras inside the inner sanctum.
"There'll be a bit more I'll do, but I think Nine understands that during games, even the night before, it's a little difficult to do too much," Ponting says.
"As they have with all sports, they're trying to make the coverage better and more appealing to the public and I guess the team are looking at it that way as well.
"There'll be other little things they'll be trialling and seeking the team's permission for to enhance the coverage.
"The dressing room is a pretty sacred area for us at the moment. I think it's going to be a real learning process to get our heads around a few of the ideas that we'll be trialling."
- JACKIE EPSTEIN