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The Australian Open

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Since 1905, Melbourne has been the main host city for The Australian Open Tennis and this huge sporting event attracts over 600,000 fans to the city every year. The whole city (in fact most of the country) becomes abuzz with loyal fans who have travelled from far and wide to support their sporting idols. Loads of tourists who happen to be here at the same time can’t help but want to get involved in the action!

The Aus Open is held in the last two weeks of January every year and since 1972 it’s always been held in Melbourne. As January is the middle of the Australian Summer Time, you can almost guarantee great weather – even for Melbourne. So get ready to pop open the champers, don your sweat bands and enjoy some big names battling it out for the big prize.

Some of the previous champions include some of the biggest names in tennis: Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams! In 2014, Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray… but who will be the next winner?

The tournament is held at both Margaret Court Arena and Rod Laver Arena situated just outside the city centre. Fans can take the number 70 tram which stops nearby to both venues. Due to the large number of visitors, tram services are normally increased to help minimise overcrowding and delays.

The Australian Open is the first big tennis event, and first of the four Grand Slam Tennis events, of the year. It’s a good indicator for who to keep your eye on for Wimbledon, which is possibly still the most famous of all the Grand Slam events, but The Aussie Open is where you’ll see everyone first.

australian open
At the Australian Open

Australian Open 2018

The Aus Open is held between 15th and 28th January in 2018. You can purchase tickets through the official Australian Open website – prices range from the very reasonable $25 for a ground pass up to just over $400 for the Mens Finals! Our recommendation if you want to experience the excitement of a Grand Slam tournament is to get Ground Pass tickets. This gives you entry to Melbourne Park, the outdoor courts, all of the fun and live music in the Heineken Beer Garden. Ground Passes are cheaper if you go after 5:00pm. You can book tickets here.

We’re hoping that Melbourne will also host a FREE AO Festival on the banks of Birrarung Marr (just by Federation Square) where you can catch all of the tennis action on a giant screen, enjoy the pop up bars, live music, food trucks and food stalls and bask in the festival atmosphere! Come back for confirmation closer to the time.

Who will you be showing love for when the games, sets and matches begin?

Melbourne gets busy during the Australian Open. Make sure to book your accommodation so that you don’t miss out!

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