England took the three remaining Australian wickets to win the fourth Test and retain the Ashes for the first time in 24 years with a match to spare.
Resuming 246 runs behind on 169-6 in Melbourne and with Ryan Harris unable to bat the hosts were 258 all out.
Chris Tremlett, Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan each took one wicket as England won by an innings and 157 runs.
The tourists are now 2-1 up and will win their first series down under since 1986-87 if they avoid defeat in Sydney.
This was England’s heaviest victory against Australia since 1956 and one they fully deserved after dominating their opponents with both bat and ball from the start.
Andrew Strauss’s men showed immense character and skill to bounce back from a comprehensive defeat in Perth, although they were aided by a bitterly disappointing performance from Australia.
While questions surrounding Ricky Ponting’s future as captain are likely to intensify in the coming days, his side could yet salvage a share of the spoils from a final Test that starts on 3 January.
But for that to happen they would have to experience a dramatic about-turn in form and – if this evidence is anything to go by – England will not exactly be quaking in their boots.
The tourists had engineered a position of such dominance over the previous three days that both teams arrived at a sun-drenched Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday knowing the outcome was a mere formality.
And with Australia staring down the barrel of a crushing home defeat by their fiercest rivals, the players were greeted by vast swathes of empty seats as they walked out at the 100,000-capacity stadium.
That said, the Barmy Army were out in force to will England over the line – and they swiftly had cause for celebration.
Fresh from tearing through Australia’s middle order on day three, Bresnan got proceedings under way with a devilish over of reverse swing that had Mitchell Johnson in all sorts of trouble.
The Yorkshireman laid the foundations for an early strike and it duly arrived in the second over of the day when Tremlett swung one back into left-hander Johnson and clattered his stumps via an inside edge.
A swift end appeared likely, but Peter Siddle arrived to partner Brad Haddin and the pair combined doggedly to delay the inevitable.
Watchful at first, Haddin soon began to open his shoulders and moved towards a seventh Test half-century by dispatching Swann down the ground for six.
A couple of edges narrowly eluded Paul Collingwood at slip before Siddle got in on the act with a slog-sweep over wide long-on for a maximum.
It was important for England to remain patient, and instead of taking the new ball Strauss opted to stick with the spin of Swann and swing of Bresnan. It was a move that paid dividends.
Siddle had grafted his way to a career-best score of 40 but there would be no maiden half-century after he lofted Swann to Kevin Pietersen running round from long-on.
Just one wicket was needed and it arrived in the very next over, as Ben Hilfenhaus was caught behind off Bresnan to spark scenes of jubilation among the England players and fans alike – BBC
