The first day at the event we got the free tram to the event. The queues at the disembarking tram stop were horrendous, organised chaos.. The second day, we walked down to the event from Flinders street station. It’s a lovely walk without the queues. I recommend people use this entrance, no stress and better than being packed on to a tram like sardines.
The venue was amazing once in though. We had ground passes for two consecutive days. The second day was much busier than the first, probably due to the first day being a bit rainy. Got to see loads of tennis and tennis players. Watched games mainly on the outside courts which were very easy to access. On the second day watched a match in the Kia Arena. I recommend getting at the court very early if you want to watch a specific match as queues were forming on the busy second day. We knew which matches we wanted to watch and where, as we had looked on the Australian open website before we went. We were glad we had done this as there didn’t seem to be boards in the venue displaying this information. Free WiFi was available in the venue, so we could check on the Australian open website as to Match time delays and updates
Excellent, efficiently rn event
Amazing slam!! Great atmosphere! The facilities are really good and they have improved a lot since I went many years ago. I would recommend a seat in Rod Laver if money allows as views are very good and guaranteed more tennis than the grounds pass. Well done to Melbourne for hosting this major event, transport etc all worked well.
Outstanding event
I'm really quite frustrated with the handling of a situation on day 2 of the Australian Open. While we were waiting in queue at Margaret Court Arena to buy upgraded tickets for the evening session, there was a guy and a girl at the ticket counter getting tickets. They were taking a long time and another patron commented they had been there for 30 minutes already. They finished their transaction and left, but came back about 10 minutes later and the guy proceeded to cut in the line and go straight to the same ticket agent and question his transaction. People in line were telling him he needed to get back in the queue and wait his turn. After what was a long time of convincing he finally got in line. An AO official got involved but didn't seem to do much. The girlfriend then proceeded to ask the people in front of us (since they were next) if they would mind if the guy and the girl got in front of them and the people said no, that they had been waiting a long time to get their tickets and the couple should wait their turn. The same AO official came back because an older man started to get loud and voice his frustration. The AO official then brought the couple up to the front window to take care of their transaction before everyone, making everyone in line very frustrated and confused. So basically bad behavior was rewarded and us waiting in line had to just stand and watch in amazement.
This was my first and probably only experience of attending the AO as I am from the US, and to say this experience tainted my view of the AO is an understatement. Hopefully this situation does not happen in the future for other patrons. Thank you.
Very good atmosphere at court.
I live in Melbourne and have been going every year for the last five years. The tennis is always fantastic! I've watched from different tickets and prices and have been pretty happy with them all. My best advice is to get a reserved seat if your budget allows.
Parking is difficult so try and catch public transport if possible.
If you're from outside Melbourne, I recommend making a stay of it as there's a good and lively vibe in the town and lots to see and so.
My second out of four Grand Slams - had done Wimbledon previously. Hard to compare as a completely different vibe, but Aus Open was a really fantastic experience. I had seats in Margaret Court, which had a great view so was really happy to see some some great games. Rod Laver tends to be where the bigger matches are in later rounds. I spoke to some Ground Pass holders who had trouble getting into courts so reserved seat ticket recommended if your budget stretches.
You can buy shaded seats but be warned that these aren't guaranteed as shaded, at least not for the full day. Wasn't a problem for us anyway as they had to close the roof for rain.
Lots of places to eat but tends to be fast junk food so would be nice for a few more quality options as don't want to eat junk for every meal every day.
We tried the free tram service, which is a good gesture but gets extremely busy during the opening and closing times so we opted to walk on the second day as ended up being faster.
Overall had a top experience and definitely worth visiting! Once I've done the others, I'm sure I'll be back for another visit... even if it is 18 hours flight away!