A week to go and everything is in place for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games to be the best ever.

The competitors are moving in to the much-questioned athletes village, the security is stepping up and the medals have been struck.

Which for the Australian contingent is a major development, considering they are bound to win a lot more than anyone else.

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks launched the Games medals on Monday, at the same time giving his organisers a pat on the back for laying the foundation for the biggest event the state has ever put on.

It is bigger than the 1956 Olympics, Mr Bracks said.

"The Queens baton relay is nearly at the end of the world journey and all of Australia is ready to enjoy the greatest Commonwealth Games in the history of the event.

"The last six or seven years' preparation is all about making sure we can have the best Games ever, best ever held in Commonwealth and Empire Games and we hope that is the case."

For Australia as a whole, the success of the Games will be measured by how far in front of the rest of the old empire the host nation finishes.

For Melbourne and Victoria it will be a more personal thing.

The state government claims the Games will inject an additional $3 billion into the economy and draw 90,000 overseas and interstate visitors to Melbourne and create 10,000 jobs around the state.

But on Monday it was more about the fundamentals - the medals and the food.

At the athletes' village where about 80 of the 400-plus Australian team has checked in, the overwhelming opinion has been that the tucker is tops.

"I've been to a few Olympics and Commonwealth Games and this is definitely the best food I've ever seen," said Village mayor Steve Moneghetti.

"And I don't know anyone who thinks differently."

As for the medals, they may have a monetary value equal to a couple of sandwiches, but to those who win them, they will be priceless.

The 441 gold medals that made their public debut are made from 125 grams of gold donated by the Victorian goldrush town of Ballarat.

The precious metal used to plate the medals is worth close to $4,000 at today's price, giving each medal a value of almost $10.

All medals feature a heraldic and iconic emblem of the Commonwealth Games Federation embossed on the front with an emblem of Melbourne and the words humanity, equality and destiny on the back.

The lanyards are gum leaf designed links with a metal chain, as opposed to the traditional ribbon.

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell said the medals represent value money can't buy and would be a true keepsake for any athlete.

"What is presented today is something that will motivate and excite the athletes to great, great performances," he said.

"These medals all represent those values we seek to represent through sport."

Australia is tipped to win almost 90 gold medals.

While the medals represent the positive side of the Games, they coincided with the announcement today of an unprecedented effort to weed out one of the great negatives of modern sport.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper revealed the crack down on drugs would be the biggest in the history of the event.

Every Australian athlete will enter the Games having been tested by the Australian Sports Drugs Agency (ASDA) while record number of urine and blood testing will be conducted throughout the 12-days of competition.

"This is the most comprehensive program we have ever had in place," said Hooper.

"It will be the largest number of tests ever undertaken.

"Our message to any athlete foolish enough to attempt to go down that path and run the risk, you will get caught."

At Manchester in 2002 four athletes tested positive to performance enhancing drugs.

Already in the lead up to these Games pre-meet testing has caught a couple of Australian weightlifters plus a weightlifter and two athletes from India.

It's also been reported that a flying tram will form part of the event's opening ceremony.

The three tonne W-class replica tram will be suspended above the Melbourne Cricket Ground as part of the $50 million entertainment spectacular.

The Nine Network broadcast images of the tram, equipped with giant wings, being put through a rehearsal at the MCG.

"It's pretty hard for us to deny that," Games spokesman Simon Frost said of the report.

"People are going to have to wait to see what is or isn't part of the opening ceremony."

The two-and-a-half hour ceremony, which has been shrouded in secrecy, will be held on March 15.

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